System Restoration
by PhantomGalaxy13
Summary: Sometimes... you just get unlucky. No questions asked, no @# ! given. Me? I never considered myself lucky or unlucky. But in this blasted place, you need to be a little lucky or you won't survive. Little did I know that Death would be heaven, compared to the alternative. (Crossover Arc has begun!)
1. Update 1

ERROR ERROR ERROR

UNABLE TO LOAD TEMPORAL FILE: Fire Emblem Awakening #0

CORRUPTION OF FILE: EMINENT

PLEASE CLICK ON SYSTEM RESTORATION TO BEGIN CORRECTION.

…

…

RESTARTING FILES…

SEARCHING RESTORATION PROGRAM…

PLEASE SELECT A RESTORATION PROGRAM.

…

YOU HAVE CHOSEN PROGRAM: Knoll Highlander

DO YOU WANT THIS PROGRAM? **YES.**

INITIATING DATA…

CORRECTION OF FILE: Fire Emblem Awakening #0

BEGINNING IN THREE…

TWO…

ONE…

* * *

"You have got to be freaking kidding me…" A brown haired, dark brown eyed, and normal young man said as he exited through a door.

The man was wearing some odd clothes, but they almost looked like clothes from a medieval RPG. He wore a long sleeved and light blue shirt with one red stripe vertically placed in the middle. His shirt- no more like a tunic now, had shoulder and elbow pads. The man noticed an odd symbol in these pads: he noted how it reminded him of the Jedi symbol in Star Wars, but it looked more like a diamond crossed flower in the middle part, and the "wings" of that symbol are thinner, longer, and sharper than the familiar symbol. He took a second to look at his hands: he was wearing two black gauntlets, both thick, finger-less, and had the same odd symbol on them each on the back and front of the palms. He was wondering if he was wearing some commercial brand, so other people might buy their design.

The man then noticed his pants: he had knee pads, but they didn't have an odd symbol on them. The colors of his pants were khaki, so it clashed with the two bright colors of his tunic. He ignored his thoughts on clashing colors and moved on to his back; he had a form of cloaked hood hanging behind him now. When the man tried to feel for anything in this long, brown, and silky cloak. He touched two handles attached to his back. He only touched for an instant, and immediately let go, he was shocked at what he had felt in that one second: weapons.

After re inspecting himself, the man looked around him, a little market place in some old town. A far cry from where he was from: an advance college, in the mountains; he was sure that he had simply come out of the restroom, during an midterm exam in his major, but it looks like a few things got misplaced.

"What the heck?! Where am I? How'd I get these clothes? What is going on here!?" The man was raving and shouting, and he caught the interest of the people in that area. They all stared at him like a lunatic.

* * *

CORRECTION IN PROGRESS…

SWITCHING TO RESTORATION OVERVIEW.

* * *

Ugh, whoops, now everyone is staring at me like some lunatic. Calm down Knoll, get a hold of yourself!

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

WOAH! People are running past me and I almost get pushed and ran over by the stupid crowd. Geez people, don't be so rude.

I look over to the area those people ran away from, and I see a bunch of people with weapons walking towards me. They all kind of walk like the funny gangsters in cartoons that have their hands hands on their hips. I half expect them to snap their fingers and break into song at any time. Then, one of them speaks to me.

"Oi what's this? Some wee little boy trying to stand against us?" The one with a cow skull for a helm(?) said to me.

Odd, he looks like those generic fighters in Fire Emblem… Awakening…Crap.

Despite being in a life threatening situation, I obviously ignore that and go with my inner nerd sense. Like, should I squeal in joy of being in one of my favorite games, or scream in horror realizing I might actually die?

I'll decide that I'll go scream in terror; squealing will just me feel worse about myself. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" wow I can really scream, so I guess being the quiet guy doesn't mean I can't be loud.

?

Oh, apparently that's all I did: scream. I didn't move or runaway while doing it, and now they are rubbing their ears looking really angry at me… Do something body!

The guy jumps up and attacks me, I dodge but barely. I need to either run away or somehow defend my self- wait don't I have two weapons? I grabbed both handles and unsheathed- …

…

…

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! TWO HEALING STAVES?!

I look up because I suddenly hear a drop of metal and several thuds. What was- it… Oh this is just grand! Now the bad guys are literally rolling on the floor and laughing at me.

Wait! I can use this to chance to hide! I know! I'll hide in the stands!

I slowly tipped toed over to one of the stands.

Alright, got into the stands without them noticing… they are still laughing aren't they?

After a while, it got quiet. I hear them saying I ran away, and how they can't wait to tell Garrick about this. Garrick? Is that their leader? Wait, they also are talking about… burning the whole town *sigh* stupid good personality, you are going to get me into trouble.

I went under the cover behind the stand and I hear someone walking over. By the shape of the shadow's head, it was that same guy with the axe trying to kill me a while back. I waited and when he got close; I tackled him. My instincts kicked in here, as my body started to move faster than my thoughts; with all my might, I punched the guy in the neck while I was on top of him, then I jabbed his eye with the bottom handle of my staff.

Wait-whoa brutal, I guess I have some issues that I so have to rethink later.

Odd he is dead, but I don't feel a thing… I am totally seeing a psychologist as soon as possible.

I hear voices and footsteps coming over; I run to another nearby stand, and go under the back cover again. This time, I hear people saying to spread out, and search for the "dastard?" (Heh, way to go American censoring) that did this to their ally. I waited under the counter, and I saw a myrmidon walking close here. Probably to see if I was hiding in it, but before he got a chance to look, I grabbed his leg and dragged him down into the stand (Odd, I didn't know I had such strength).

He screamed as I dragged him into the stand; I quickly bashed his neck with my staff again, and grabbed his blade to stab him right at the forehead. Ouch, brutal kill and no reaction even when there is a lot of blood splattered on me. Great it is official: I am now a sociopath- that sounds like the humming before a magic spell is cas- oh sheesh!

I ran out and hid in another stand as the previous one went up in flames.

"Oi, what did ya do that for?" asked one of them.

"I thought I heard something in there." Good to know I'm not the only one crazy here, though being trigger happy is way more acceptable than being a cold unmoving murderer.

One of them checked the ruble "Hey, this is one of our guys! You Idiot!"

"Hey wait a sec... he was stabbed in the forehead! He was dead before ya burned him!" another was talking.

"Did you see someone when you blasted the stand?"

"What no?! But now we know where that dastard is hiding, in this here stands and shops, all I gotta do is burn them all to the ground. Hahaha!"

Crap, he is starting, what do I- hey I'm still holding that dude's blade: a killing edge? Wow it feels light… screw it I'll just run like crazy when I do it.

I threw the blade as hard as I could, and the moment I let go, I ran to a stand near a bridge and I heard a splatter.

"What the?! Where did that blade come from?! You guys over there, check that stand!"

I peeked over to see what happened: The blade I threw hit the mage in the neck and it was now impaled in his neck. (Why are my kills so brutal?) Something was off though: the enemies were sweating, they all looked scared, and some were even telling the others they were being haunted. It took me a moment to realize they didn't know it was me. They really assumed that I left, and since I never showed myself, they started to be afraid and get paranoid.

Wow, no wonder this stealth thing works so well for Batman, it really does instill fear into the superstitious and cowardly. Proud to be a DC fan, I mean Marvel is good, but I prefer DC. Focus Knoll, alright now usually, from playing the Arkham Asylum games, when the bad guys become like this they tend to make more mistakes, yet at the same time more paranoid and harder to surprise. Thankfully, it looks like some of them dropped their weapons and ran away, leaving a smaller group than before, however they were all bunched up in a group so I couldn't do anything to them.

More footsteps? Crap reinforcements, now what? Hey one of them is close to that bridge… screw it; I'm just going to push my luck right now.

I tackled the dude and jumped with him into the river. Seeing a small knife as I tackled him, I grabbed it and slit his throat before we made contact in the water. I was really crazy with this idea: as we floated up, I held the guy's body in front of me, so when they checked the river they saw another one of their dead allies, but they didn't see me because off the blood seeping into the river.

Crap my eyes are open here, better avoid having blood in my eyes.

While I floated down, I heard them screaming and running… Shepherds? Wait; was I in the prologue just now? Seeing a dock through some of the blood, I let go off the body, closed my eyes, and swam till I felt the dock.

When I got up, I heard fighting sounds. I got back up to the main plaza and saw a man in blue slash a mage with a fancy blade; I'm guessing that is Chrom. Wow, he looks really cool in real life. Especially with that angry look towards my direction...

Oh...

I took a quick look at myself, I was still drenched in a mix of water and blood. Please don't tell me he mistook me for a bad- HOLY!

Crap, the Main character is trying to kill me! You Idiot! I'm not trying to kill you! Aiie! Was that Lightning?! Is the Robin character after me too?! Sheesh! Think, how do I get out of this?! Lance! I slid down on my knees and went down under a scary looking horse; I'm assuming that was Frederick. Wait, I'll just surrender and explain to them that I'm one of them like a recruitment conversation!

"WAIT! I SURRENDER!" I raised my hands to the air and kneeled in front of the four of them. (Apparently Lissa appeared out of nowhere.)

"Give us one reason why we should let you live after you killed innocent civilians!" Chrom shouted, wow that is one scary glare.

"I didn't kill civilians! I was defending myself from those bandits!" I looked over to the battlefield: whoa, they killed everyone, granted I lessened the numbers a little, but still four people against an entire group of bandits is still really good.

"If you really are surrendering then give us your weapons." Frederick said.

"Alright alright, here!" I took out both healing staves and slid them towards them.

… Are they laughing? Oh, it was just Lissa and Robin (Great, this Robin has the hood on, I can't tell if Robin is a boy or a girl, or if Robin is even the name.) Chrom looked confused, while Frederick looked more… uh lets go with frustrated.

"Your **weapons** brigand." Great he doesn't trust me.

"Hey don't you see the blood on these things?! I basically used my opponent's weapons against them." (Come to think of it, where did that knife I stole go?) I was still kind of scared of them so I said, "You have to believe me, I'm telling the- LOOK OUT!" I tackled Chrom and I felt a sharp pain in my waist.

"Aggh!" What an arrow? There were no archers in the prologue!

"Lissa, get to healing him! Chrom! You and Frederick take cover; I will give the signal to charge in!" Oh, so this avatar is a girl. Ouch- hurts to think.

I was cringing in pain, but I heard thunder then I heard it hit someone; I'm assuming the archer that aimed for Chrom. So Frederick and Chrom charged the front lines, while Robin was giving them cover support; Hey I feel better, oh right Lissa.

"Thanks" I tell her.

"No problem, thanks for rescuing my brother." Wow even though there is a fight here where people are **dying**, she is still smiling like she has no care in the world. I know it's probably momentary, but I now feel better not being the only psycho here… oh who am I kidding, I'm still the only psycho.

"Bwaaargh!" I saw some man, near a church, get killed. I guess he was the leader, so cut scene time?

* * *

Yada, yada, yada we are so grateful and like to offer our thanks, decline like all supposedly honorable heroes do, Lissa complains, and… oh they are talking to me.

"I would like to apologize for my behavior, awhile back. I wrongly accused you and yet you still saved my life." You know, he would be one awesome friend; maybe I should try having a support conversation with everyone- Concentrate Knoll!

"It is fine really, and the way it was aimed, it would have only wounded you." I tried to sound humble.

"Still, I am thankful for your actions and I am sorry for the accusations."

"Milord, I don't think you should trust him. He was covered in blood when we first saw him." Oh Frederick, you stick in the mud you. "And I fail to see how he had been covered in so much blood, despite wielding two healing staves."

I heal for negative points?

"Wait Frederick, while we were fighting, I noticed a few things that seemed weird. There were already a few dead people on the field: one had his eye jabbed and neck crushed, one who had a sword impaled through his neck, one who was burned and stabbed under a pile of ruble, and I will also mention that when we crossed the bridge, blood had already polluted and filled a portion of the river." Robin stood up for me. She then explained how the clues came together and deduced how I came to appear to be covered in blood, by re explaining my stealthy strike on the bandits like a detective solving a murder case.

"Oh wow, hiding behind a dead body? That is gross, yet ingenious!" Lissa gushed.

"You really have great talents. Would you like to join us? We could use a man with that type of talent." Chrom was inviting me to the Shepherds! I am totally going to agree to this!

What came out of my mouth though, were my honest doubts. (Why parents? Why did you teach me to tell the truth!?) "I am honored, but I'm not talented at all. I was just thinking on my feet. I'm sure it was all luck." Which probably it was.

"Nonsense! That all seemed like good skills to me! Don't set yourself to low."

"Well I am out off a job right now, so joining you guys might get me somewhere to sleep and eat for the night! Can I still join?" I was so relieved they didn't accept my answer and leave me.

Robin (crap, she still didn't introduce herself) and Chrom laughed, Frederick smirked, and Lissa pouted. What did I sa- oh.

* * *

I found myself walking with these people up the road right after we left the town. "You know I never properly introduce myself, sorry for that, my name is Knoll. Knoll Highlander."

Chrom nodded his head and spoke. "Oh right, with all that excitement, manners weren't the first thing in our minds, My name is Chrom. The man on the horse is Frederick, the little one is Lissa, and this is also our newest recruit, her name is Lucile.

As soon as he said this Lucile, removed her hood and showed me she was I guess a type 1 build with strait hair down and a ribbon like the long hair type 2 from the smaller type 2 body. (Why do I know the exact numbers of the builds and customization?) But she had dark red hair; pretty sure that wasn't one of the options.

She smiles and speaks to me, "Nice to meet you." OK type 1 voi- Curse You Inner Nerd!

"So, what's your story? I'm just some random traveler enjoying the world." Must try and remain inconspicuous.

"A random traveler that knows how to kill people with healing staves…" Frederick, your really going to be hard to trust me, ain't cha?

I really shouldn't drop the whole {I am an alien/ take me to your leader/ plot twist: I am your father} on them. "Let's just say where I come from, there is a lot of creativity."

"You grow more suspicious every second."

I figure it will take a while so I just casually continue. "Dark and mysterious, was never called that before."

"So Knoll?" Lissa asked, "What do those symbols on your shoulder pads mean? They look like pretty flowers."

"To be honest, I don't know; I just found them."

"You found those?" Lissa asked.

"Uh… yea of the ground." That was a terrible excuse.

"That seems unlikely." Frederick tells me.

"Actually, I agree with you there. It almost feels I came here to town with them… I might have been drugged last night… hard to tell." I really don't know my self, so it's time to throw colors at the canvas and call it art.

Chrom and the others just stare at my weird answer. Chrom then asks me something, "…Just what kind of life have you been living before meeting with us?"

Life? Funny he said that… I well, I guess… "I- I don't really know how to answer that, but if I were to put it into one word: I'd say normal."

Lucile asks, "Why do you say it like that?"

"Questions after questions… OK you caught me, I like being poetic on random whims, now is one of them." And I like distracting people so they won't know i come from another world.

Frederick glared at me. "Most of your answers don't make any sense and only pile up on how suspicious you are."

"Well, I always did consider myself insane."

=Later at night=

Sigh…

Apparently the bug that was supposed to be swallowed by Lissa was swallowed by me. Surprisingly, it tasted like chicken. Disturbingly, I want to try it again. Funny enough, bear meat tastes like honey, so if I eat Winnie the Pooh will he taste like flies? … I have gone insane.

If I don't die here, I'll probably end up in a loony bin.

Hey? How do I know I'm not in some great delusion right now? I felt pain like never before and pretty sure that I killed a man (people) and didn't flinch, though I did blink a few times.

So somehow, I'm here in the game.

… I'm here in the game. I'll let it sink in me a few more times… How in the freaking clichéd tomfoolery, did I get here?!

I read some fan fictions (Screw it, I'm already a loser anyway) called self inserts: where people from our world, help redirect or shape the events in games. So going with that flow, I'm supposed to correct something here?

Screw it, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep… odd, feels like I'm forgetting…something…

* * *

I wake up to find that everyone gone… and trees are burning? Wait a sec…

Crap, Chapter 1! I can't believe I forgot! In my defense, pondering my existence in another universe is a very good distraction from remembering game events.

I immediately got up, and run like crazy in a random direction because I'm hoping I would meet up with them.

I can't believe both Lucile and Frederick ditched me! I thought for sure they would wake me up- What the…

Why am I suddenly in Validar's castle near the end of the game?

Hey, who is that?

He looks like one of those guys from Kingdom Hearts, you know, the black hooded people? But his design was gold; he had shoulder shields with the same symbol as mine! Well one of them, the other symbol was some kind of lined and winged shield? Instead of his hood covering his face, he was wearing some kind of helm visor beneath his hood. Wait, is he wearing armor behind that cloak? His cape kind of surprised me; it had a cut in the middle, and its design showed that it was like a parted cloak.

He then spoke to me in… a familiar voice.

"Can you do it? Can you face adversity and win? Will you pay the heavy price for hope?"

Adversity? What? Was he the one who sent me here? "What is going on?!" I demanded from him.

"And why do you have the same voice as me!?"

I saw two lights come from his helm/visor; it was a nice shade of light blue, I was going to assume those were his eyes or else I would be really creeped out, and then he asked me another question.

"What makes you happy?"

"What? Hey, answer my question!"

"Does it make others happy as well?"

I was silenced. I remember that question from Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. I found that question to stick around in my mind when I first saw it. I was a quiet person, so I never really had a close relationship to people outside my family. I played a lot of games and my parents wanted me to stop playing so much because I was addicted to them. So while I was playing and I read this sentence, I really felt bad, It made me question who I was, yet I still played and I still didn't have many or none close friends. It was one of the first games, which made me feel really guilty.

I didn't notice the gold guy come up to me, put his hand on my shoulder (Hey, he is wearing a full armor under that cloak!) and say something random again.

"Trust and Forgive."

What did that mean?

* * *

I soon found myself being woken up by Lucile. "Knoll, Wake Up!" I was up and awak-

"Oww, did you slap me?!" Woman, I was awake!

"You weren't waking up!"

"I was! I woke up the second before you slapped me!"

"No time! Lucile, Knoll; we have to find Chrom and Lissa!" Frederick rode towards the sounds of clashing weapons and moaning.

Right, the Risen.

We later caught up with Chrom and Lissa, they seemed glad to see us.

Hey where is Luc- I mean Marth? Did he disappear already?

"What are those things?" Lucile asked.

I speak out. "They aren't human that's for sure" Well technically, they were human.

"They are coming right at us!" Lucile said. "Chrom you and I can man that fort! Frederick, take Knoll with you and man the other fort to the north! Lissa, make your way to the northern fort with Frederick and Knoll, but take the longer rout through the forest. When you three are done at the top, come support and regroup with us!" she gave her orders and we all followed without question.

Frederick and I manned the northern fort, it was a lot bigger than I expected; kind of wondering how only one person could fit here or one paired unit. Guess game mechanics don't quite work well with physics in worlds.

"Knoll they are coming, ready yourself!" Frederick told me.

Right let me just… I still don't have any weapons don't I?

"Uhh Frederick? What happens if I don't have any weapons?" I forgot that I even left the two staves at the floor, when I slid it to show my surrender.

Frederick didn't answer; we got separated by a black orb suddenly appearing before us.

A Flux spell?! Wait, I know there wasn't mage Risen in this part of the game, let alone those shaman copies!

The spell was expanding; I had to run out to get away. I hoped Frederick was OK, but I found myself around a small group of Risen: a fighter, myrmidon, and a mercenary… Oh Joy.

After dodging the myrmidon's slash I tried to run, but the mercenary cut me off. He then tried to decapitate me, by aiming for my neck. (What is it with me and necks?). Knowing running was impossible, I ducked under the mercenaries' slash, I then stomped hard on his foot; following that up, I gave him one right hook to the jaw and followed immediately with a punch in the face with my left hand. He flew off, in a good distance.

What the? I really don't remember being that strong- Crap axe dude, whoa myrmidon! Great two on one now; I stepped back, only to feel something on my foot, I looked down and saw the mercenary's sword right below my foot. (I didn't see him drop it.) I picked it up and noticed something… It was a silver blade! I quickly scanned my opponent's weapons, a killing edge for the myrmidon and a silver axe for the fighter. Yeesh! Is this Lunatic mode or something?

The Myrmidon jumped at me, I rolled out of the way and swung the heavy blade at him, he dogged it easily. Next, I blocked the axe man with the blade- whoa, now I was sent flying or sliding like a good 3 feet away from the impact; my hands are twitching, I think it's best for me to dodge attacks, than parry or block.

He came attacking again, this time I stepped away and attacked him in the waist- Your Kidding Me, Right?! That didn't even scratch his tunic!

Crap, so this is what happens if you have a weapon above your skill level.

Humming again? Crap, magic! I dove to the ground and ducked, I saw a stream of fire hitting the axe and the myrmidon. (That was poor angling on their part.) Looking at the charred bodies of the enemies, (All this death and not one show of disgust or pity; I really hope I don't have a psychotic breakdown.) I spotted the killing edge of the myrmidon, I picked it up- OUCH! HOT! HOT!

OK, dropped it back down and kicked mud on the handle. I looked to where the blast came- Oh my gosh.

A dozen risen coming this way, several mercenaries, a handful of fighters, and two sages?! Is that where that fire stream came from? There are so many; wasn't Lucina or Marth or whatever, supposed to handle a side by herself?

I pick up the killing edge now. (Thank You! It's cool enough to hold now.) And now they are all charging at me with still no sign of rescue anywhere.

Calm down Knoll! How do I get out of this?! I look around, crap, I am near the fort wall, the entrance is on a different side, and they will definitely catch up with me. They are getting closer! Come on! I don't want to die, like the two…

Ugh, really brain? That is what you came up with?

Well so far my plans have worked, only to have them backfire in some way that might get me killed, so how is this one any different?

I sigh and charge straight at the Risen.

Whoa! OH MY- SUNNUVA! DEAR LO- I HATE YOU BRAIN!

After almost killing myself in that maelstrom of steel, I got to the back of the group and faced the two sages who were preparing to blast me away with fire. I threw away the killing edge and positioned myself to run like those people in the Olympics, I faced a different direction and waited for the humming. Crap, the close range fighters are catching up now, I really hope this works.

There it is! Time to run like crazy! HOT! HOT, HOT! FASTER! FASTER, YOU FOOL!

The spell ran out of time… YES, IT WORKED!

I ran across the view of the sages and when they tried to aim for me, their fire burned their allies (un)alive while I dodged their attack. Wow that is some huge fire, I wonder if anyone will notice- I forgot about the two sages, didn't I?

Run like Crazy again! I'm wheezing and gasping now, great my stamina is drained- crap! I tripped! Ooof! Ugh no! I don't want to die now!

…Is that howling? I don't think Risen howl. The sages are aiming at me, is this the end?

I'm- I'm so scared…

?!

What in the world?! A wolf! A black wolf with a silver scar on his left eye, bit one of the sage's neck and is mauling the armed zombie. The other sage looked at his ally and disrupted his spell! I got up and used the last of my energy to tackle him down and pummel the crap out of him. I was punching and punching and -9un281n6…

I finally realized that his face was all dented in.

I look at my hands, no blood this time, but what scared me was that moment I let go. I was so scared, so angry. What do I do? I guess all that joking about being a psycho a while ago, wasn't something to joke about. I need to keep a cool head or else… Urf, can't even imagine it.

I looked at the other sage, the wolf sat down and stared at me, despite its ferocity a moment back; it was a majestic beast. It then came up to me and licked my face, my tears. I was crying wasn't I?

It was all quiet: I wiped my tears and hugged the wolf. I was so thankful for that.

I got up and decided to try and find the others. Before I could choose a direction, I heard a voice.

"Hey! Knoll!"

I looked to see Lissa riding with Frederick, I was relieved they were both ok.

"You guys are OK! I was worried!"

"Same here, but we have to hurry to Chrom and Lucile! Come on!" Frederick rode ahead with Lissa. I followed them and so did my new wolf friend.

* * *

I was relieved to see both Chrom and Lucile fine. I was also glad that Virion and Sully helped clean up the risen with them, the fight was over. Oh my… I almost died…

We then talked about what happened; Frederick said that when we were separated, he fought of a few Risen, including the dark mage that separated us, before finding Lissa, and then they decided to look for me. But before they could start, they saw a large burst of fire and decided to head there.

"That blast of fire was from you?" Chrom and Lucile were surprised; apparently everyone saw that flame.

" I uh… sorry… give me a moment…" I was out of it; I inhaled then I told my story of what happened when I got separated from Frederick. Apparently, I had it worse than everyone else: Sully and Virion appeared shortly after we left, and helped Chrom and Lucile defend the fort.

"Wow, I have never seen a wolf before!" Lissa was kneeling to meet my new friend.

"I thought wolves always go in packs?" Sully asked.

"Either way, I am thankful to this guy." I kneeled down and pet him in the head. "Mind if I call you Streak from now on?"

"Why Streak?" Lucile asked

"Because his scar here, reminds me of a streak"

"What an odd wound, I don't believe scars can have a color like that" Virion said, oh right he didn't introduce himself to me yet, better ask.

"Yea um, who are you two again? I don't remember you introducing yourselves."

"Ahh forgive me, I am Virion Archest of Archers! And I-"

"I am Sully; you really seem to have an odd mix of good and bad luck kid."

"Yea, I hate it- wait kid? How old do you think I am?"

"We are getting off topic" Frederick you jerk, you cut off Virion. Hey, why does it look like your sweating? "Milord, we have to get to the capital, I fear for the people." He took a glance at Streak, but quickly looked away. Is he afraid of the wolf?

"Right, we will talk about this more later we have to hurry up to the capital." Chrom said.

And so we went-

…

…

Where was Marth/Lucina?

"Hey, Chrom?"

"Yes, Knoll?"

"Didn't you see a masked warrior around here?"

"What are you talking about?"

Uh oh.

"What? I guess I was imagining things."

Chrom just shrugged as we hurried up to the capitol or capital, I'm kind of bad with words ok.

But still… where was Lucina/Marth?(Screw it this is my head, I'll go with Lucina.) And why do I have this unshakable and cliché feeling: something really, really bad is going to happen.

* * *

**And that's all folks!**

**Had a blast writing this, though maybe having two stories at the time, will really slow down both uploads.**

**Bah whatever, I needed to write this down while it was still fresh in my head. Don't worry I'm still working on A Legend's Secret.**

**Now about my character: I made him a similar design of a thief, but he isn't exactly one either. Maybe I'll try to specify what he is a little later. **

**Right, is he over powered? I tried my best to make sure, he wasn't a Gary Sue or whatever, He is fast and (randomly) strong but I made him unable to use weapons, and even when he had them, they only work for him when he throws them or something, not the normal way. Basically he is going to be unarmed for quite a while, plus I made sure that most of his fights were more planning oriented than strength wise and just killing everyone in sight, why do you think he always aimed for the neck?**

**Just because he has some random strength (which will be explained later) doesn't mean he has a high damage.**

**Well though that's my reason, you can tell me more about it if you review.**

**Oh one more thing; this style of writing was based on Gone2GroundEX's self insert: Asleep (Go read it, it is way better than mine.) who gave me the inspiration to write my stories around the fire emblem community. Thank you dude, and keep up the good work.**

**So thank you for reading and please Review.  
**

**(Future Edit # 4)(8/8/13)**

**This is the fourth time I had to re edit this chapter to fix grammar mistakes. Despite that, I keep finding grammar mistakes in this chapter. I haven't even worked on the others as well. But the next chapter may come late as i try to re fix all of my chapters... a story over 90,000 words...**

**Sigh.**

**Well, Peace Out Brudas! And remember the Almo!**


	2. Update 2

UPDATE # 2

PROGRESS: FAIR

CORRUPTION OF FILE: EMINENT

RECALIBRATING RESTORATION PROCESS...

CONTINUING PROGRAM…

MODE: RESTORATION OVERVIEW

* * *

OK… so here we are at Yillstol; ooh so medieval. Ugh my body… stupid farmers. Apparently, when we were entering here, some of the farmers tried to shoo away Streak and they used pitchforks and sticks to do it. Unfortunately for me, I had to explain to them that he was mine, but then they tried to shoo me away… by whacking me… Thankfully Chrom came in and stopped the vicious peasants.

They fight when it's a wolf, but runaway like crazy when it's a brigand.

Really people? If you showed even a bit of that courage to those bandits, you wouldn't have those problems!

While rubbing my neck from purely sore feelings, I turn to Chrom to express my thanks. "Thanks again for the save back there. You know, I expected capital cities to be more of trade business than farming." I said.

"Well that maybe true, however more refuges have been flooding here after the recent bandit attacks." Frederick explained.

"I was surprised with that old lady." Lucile said. "She believed her son was eaten by a wolf, even though everyone said her son was right behind her."

I respond saying, "Well it's hard to convince an old lady that's busy bashing a poor guy in the skull with some odd bag!" Yep, she was hitting me with a purse, like those cartoon grannies.

"It's called a purse, Knoll" Lissa said.

OK, good to know they have purses here, granted the designs are different, but all the same.

"It appears the capital was spared in the chaos we encountered, thank the gods" Frederick said.

Guessing we're back to the events of the game.

"Thunderation! The Exalt has come to see us!" Shouted the convenient plot man.

Oh wow, there she is. She is so pretty… sigh, it's such a shame.

"She is also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa said. Oops, I might have missed some lines while I was staring at Emmeryn.

So Lucile is getting worried and flustered for treating royalty so casually. I kind of hold in some laughter, because her expression is way more fun to watch than in the game: she looks like she might cry, poor girl.

"It looks like Emmeryn is returning to the palace. Would you both like to meet her?"

I answered excitedly. "I would be honored!"

* * *

… Why am I waiting outside the castle halls again? Oh right, the dumb guards said no pets allowed. (That's the nice way I heard it.) Now I'm totally waiting for the others to come out and bring me to the Shepherds. *Sigh* at least Streak here is giving me company, though why is a cool looking wolf, following me around?

Huh odd, I have a wolf and I'm joining the Shepherds. There are a lot of potential themes to this idea.

Oh, it's Lissa and Lucile, guess it's time to meet the Shepherds.

Huh? We have to walk there? Well its fine, guess I can talk to the girls on the way.

"So how was she?" I knew what she was like, but I never got the chance to meet her in person.

"She was really amazing! Though she had a soft voice, but it's not like that was a flaw or anything."

Lucile, do I detect a bit of fan girl in you? Crap no bad, fan girls are potentially the most vicious people in the world (guess that's why I don't have a girlfriend! Whoa oh! …did I just burn myself?) Focus Knoll, back to topic.

"I totally wish I met her." Mean guards. I bet they kick puppies and tell kids their going to die one day.

"I'm really sorry Knoll, but Chrom did try to bring Streak in." Lissa then rubbed Streak's head, as we walked. "He is better trained than any dog I've met."

Now that she mentions it, I remember Frederick was also against bringing Streak in. He always has a nervous look when he looks at Streak.

Lucile distracts my thoughts. "Now that you mention it, I'm very surprised that despite the farms and sheep, we have passed by; Streak always shows great self control. When the farmers tried to shoo him he didn't even move." She added in.

"I assumed it was because I fed him bear meat, before coming here." I didn't want him biting my leg, somewhere toward the walk to the capital.

"No, he is well trained. Makes me wonder how and where he came from, to get to you." Lucile pondered.

"Oh hey, there it is!" Lissa pointed to a big looking house.

Wow, it had a design similar to a fort, only it had a roof and it was a building with two stories high, but like a good half mile long sideways. Though seems quite spacious for the current amount of members.

Lissa entered through the door first; she walked in, twirled and said. "Here we are! The Shepherd's garrison. Go on, make yourselves at home." I saw Sumia and Vaike as I entered… hey, wasn't Kellam in this area too? Wow, it is hard to spot him, poor guy.

I then saw a blonde woman run to Lissa; so that's Maribelle.

"_Oh, hey _yourself! I've sprouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you."

Heh heh, I am really stoked to be a part of the Shepherds. I can't wait to go to exciting adventures that might get me killed! Wait…what? Oh, Vaike was talking.

"I bet he had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!" Wow that sounds a lot more annoying to me than in the game… hope I get over that soon.

"Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?" Sumia said.

Hunh, I think I'm zoning in and out of the dialogues, got to focus.

"Aww, Sumia, that is so sweet of you to worry about Chrom."

Beaver dam, I did it again didn't I? Wait…Doh!

"No one's stranger than you, Vaike… But allow me to introduce Lucile, Knoll, and Streaky! They just joined the Shepherds. Chrom made Lucile our new tactician and Knoll is one of the new recruits! Oh and Streaky might be our new mascot."

Streaky? Meh, it sounds better, guess it's not much of a change anyway.

"Lissa! Why would you bring such a filthy animal here? And that wolf…" Maribelle sai- wait… oh this is going to be one of those days, isn't it?

"In my defense, I was being beaten up by an old lady."

Oh great, they are all laughing now, I think I even hear Kellam laughing. It _is_ going to be one of those days.

"In any case, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." Lucile said after the laughter finally died down.

Marribelle storms off, Sumia apologizes, then Sumia tenses up and- oops, I never wondered why there was a random pile of paper on the floor, I'm blaming Vaike. Oh Chrom, right.

"All right, listen, everyone: tomorrow morning, we will be marching to Regna Ferox."

… Snap, I forgot about the whole; Lucina, not being in the past-yet-thing. Does this mean we will face Lon'qu in the arena or was Lucina sent to a different area like the other children? Has she come before hand like Laurent? I just don't get it…

"Knoll?"

"Huh? Yes? Sorry, dazed off for a second there."

"Are you volunteering for the march?" Chrom asked.

"Yes, sure, but please bring some spare weapons; I'm tired of fighting against dumb odds, and I really don't want something like that to happen again." Yes, I know I'm only kidding myself… let me have that false sense of security, beaver dam it.

"What happened? Get beat up by another old lady?"

Vaike, you're lucky I'm a forgiving guy. Screw it, I have an idea.

I pull something out of my bag, Streaky starts getting excited.

"Hey Vaike, Catch!"

"Hunh, what's th- WHOA WHOA DOWN BOY, DOWN!" I tossed bear meat to Vaike and Streaky tackled him. I love having a wolf for a pet.

Though my nice side quickly came back up as I then took the meat from Vaike and tossed it over to the side of him; Streaky followed it. I then helped up the poor roughed up warrior.

"Any other retorts, you'd like to note?" I say with a smirk.

"Uh, Teach doesn't hit animals…" Sure, hard to hit something that is beating the crap out of you.

"Knoll, Streak stays with you alright? Make sure he doesn't attack the horses or something." Chrom said.

"Hey, don't you remember? He was near all those sheep, but didn't show a single interest." I told him.

"I think he is more interested in big things, still just to be safe, make sure you can control him or he gets kicked out." Chrom warned.

"Sure sure, we will avoid the stables… which are where again?"

"Sumia, Lissa, show Knoll and Lucile their rooms." Chrom then helped Vaike get some vulnerary for the claw marks on his body. Maybe he should wear at least some chainmail or something.

So Lissa showed me my quarters; a bed, a desk, a closet, and a window, really nice.

"Wow, I didn't notice we were uphill." I saw out the window, a portion of the capital city under us, the castle was farther away than I thought we walked.

"Yep this was one of the old estates donated to the royal family. I think their family name was Smada. This place was rumored to be haunted before." Lissa said.

Smada? Odd sounds… really familiar…

"But don't worry; everything creepy was cleaned out a long time ago, though there might be a few things leftover in the basement."Lissa then left me to unpack my… whatever I had with me.

Why do I have an odd sensation of avoiding the basement at all costs? Hey! Why is Streaky on the bed?! Bah, he must be tired, it is still day so I'll let him sleep.

I removed my cloak and hung it over in the closet, I decided to inspect the pockets since I never had a chance to check.

So far nothing, not even a piece of dust that gives an otherworldly vibe. So guess pants now.

Nice of them to have a spare of clean clothes in the closet, albeit pajamas, but it still will works. So… nothing in the pants or pads. I'm assuming that my tunic is the same, so I put the pants and cloak back on and explore the place.

I found myself entering the kitchen; it looks exactly like in those old movies, where it's knives and pantries, no pluming faucets or oven yet. I notice they still have plates and pots; of course those were there for quite some time. I smell something good, I look to see a pot over a fire, I guess Maribelle's tea or something.

I spot some narrow stairway nearby and I went up to see a door; I opened it up and I saw something like a science lab. There were weird tubes odd potions and even some dead animal parts.

"Who are you?"

I turned to see a black dressed mage with a witch cap, and with red hair this must be Miriel… right? I forget her name.

"Hello, my name is Knoll; I'm one of the new recruits for the Shepherds." I bowed… wait bowed?

"Ah I see, I was informed we were going to have newcomers. My name is Miriel (Ha! I didn't get it wrong!) Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said.

"So, is this your room? It all looks very fancy." I then tapped the glass of some big and round shaped test tube, with a red potion.

"WAIT, NO!" Miriel panicked as the potion in the tube turned purple, it quickly fizzled, and started to shake violently.

This totally looks like one of those scenes, where something explodes.

Better duck and cover.

I heard a loud bang, then a lot of snapping right after; I opened my eyes and saw the room filled with blue smoke. (For some reason, the smell reminds me of an anime convention.) I then looked to the right and saw an angry (Well, her face didn't really show emotion so…) Miriel.

"You were not supposed to touch my unstable sample of alchemic null spice. In theory, I was going to use it for a potential in harvesting free energy. That is, until you vibrated its molecules to from a disturbing speed mix, than what I was trying to achieve environmentally." Miriel was really good, at making me looked confused. Though from what I understood, I was basically like Thomas Edison stealing from Nikola Tesla and robbing the world of one of the greatest inventions of all time. Insert sigh here.

Both of us suddenly looked at the door, and in came Sumia and Lucile, coughing and waving their arms to avoid inhaling to much of the (Now pink) smoke.

"Miriel! *cough* What's going *cough* on?!" Sumia said under the smoke.

I then suddenly realized, I was being dragged and pushed out of the door by Miriel, who somehow managed to then gather and push all three of us down the stairs and back to the kitchen, when I looked back I saw the door immediately close and the smoke died out. I blinked three times, to see if that really happened, before talking to the girls beside me.

"Uh… I didn't mean it." I said then, both girls stared at me.

Now there is an awkward silence.

Then Sumia broke the silence, by saying. "What happened in there?"

"Well, in my defense, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to touch things."

"Explain first and then defend your actions." Lucile said as she wiped off some odd dust from her shoulder and hair. Oh, apparently I have some of that dust too; better remove it.

"Well I went in there, trying to explore this place, and then I met Miriel. When we started a conversation, I tapped some odd looking glass container and it started to explode." I said nonchalantly.

"So that's why there was that odd smoke coming out." Sumia was talking. "Well, it looks like you can't go anywhere without trouble following you, so how about you stay with Lucile and I as I show you both the rest of the place."

"Sounds like a plan." I tried to follow Sumia, but at her first step she slipped off something and fell face first into the ground. Ouch, that sounded louder than her previous fall earlier today.

So Lucile was checking to see if Sumia was OK, and asked me to find Maribelle or Lissa. Which I would have done, had I not gotten lost in somewhere in the east wing, now here I am knocking on each door and calling out for help.

I have been wondering around for like good four minutes now- oof! Ugh… did I trip on a crack? So this is what Sumia feels like; ouch, guess I need to sit down. I limp over to the nearest room and when I entered it, I immediately noticed something about the room: It was an old storage room for musical instruments. In one far corner, there was a dusty looking guitar, it looked awfully like my dad's guitar.

Dad… oh my parents; ugh, I really hope I see them again. I almost died near the first chapter and I learned I was a sociopath in the prologue. I can only hope that I had a bad start just like I usually do.

Without my realization, I snapped back to reality and found myself sitting on a piano bench with that same guitar in my hands and the positioning of my hands seem like they are going to play, but I don't know how to play the guitar. I sigh, then I play the strings of the guitar to see if they are tuned up; I get surprised to see it tuned up and tightened properly, was this really not used before? (And did I wipe off all the dust? With what?)

I suddenly felt light headed and then I started to play the guitar! What? Why can't I stop? I don't know how to play! If that wasn't enough, I just now started singing! Am I possed or somethi- Wait… this song I'm singing…

**(Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World**)  
There's no one in town I know  
You gave me some place to go.  
I never said thank you for that.  
I thought I might get one more chance.  
What would you think of me now,  
so lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
now I'll never have a chance.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
So what would you think of me now,  
so lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
now I'll never have a chance.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
And if you were with me tonight,  
I'd sing to you just one more time.  
A song for a heart so big,  
god wouldn't let it live.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
May angels lead you in.

… This song, its _Jimmy Eat World- hear you me. _This is one of the many favorite songs that I play over and over. Odd, I don't remember remembering every line in that song, let alone the music notes in the guitar for it. Just what is this guitar?

Before I had a chance to reflect on what I just did, I heard an applause… applause? I quickly looked behind me and hung my mouth open in awe, just at the open door of this storage room; Chrom, Frederick, Lucile, Lissa, and every present Shepherd (Even Ricken and Stahl were there, I am also assuming Kellam is here somewhere too.) were clapping their hands at the music I was just forced to play…

Crap, they got the wrong idea didn't they?

"That was Amazing! I didn't know you could sing!" Sumia was saying.

"Where did you learn that song? It was beautiful!" Lucile was asking.

"Knoll, you didn't say anything about being a musician." Chrom was surprised.

"You got a nice set of pipes kid! Teach is impressed!" Vaike, why are you calling me a kid?

"Wow, the new recruit is really good. Hey think you can teach me a few notes?" Stahl was joining in now.

Then they all came flooding in with questions, praises, questions, comments, and questions, I did say questions, right?

I was in shock, I didn't know what to do or answer all of them. I suddenly remembered the words from a famous cartoon that got me through a rough time: _Timmy! Go for the coma! – Cosmo from Fairly Odd Parents._ (What? Not all childhoods are fun… well it was mean to me.) I then fell down and closed my mind. (Hey! It…worked…)

* * *

Ugh… maybe I shouldn't have landed head first into the floor. Falling on my face twice in less than ten minutes? New Record! Focus Knoll, looks like I'm back at Validar's Castle, so where is that gold gu- Holy…

Instead of the gold guy I met early on, I saw a huge blue snake made of… Energy? ( I mean, he looks more like pure energy in the shape of a snake!)

It then spoke in my head! Was he telepathic?

"You must be the one chosen for this time stream." It said almost so blankly, like a computer.

"Wha? What are you? Who are you? Why are you a giant snake! Of Energy? Why are you-" I was now the one asking the questions, but apparently he had a much better way of stopping questions than I.

"Be silent."

"…" I should learn from this guy.

The snake then went around me, (I really, really hope it doesn't constrict me to death.) he or it or whatever was scanning me. After it went full circle, it asked me something odd.

"Where did you get those pads and gauntlets?"

"What? I came here with them." (For some reason, I don't think I should tell this guy about the man in gold.)

"… I see…"

"Alright, I answered one of your questions, now you have to answer one of mine! Who are you?"

You know this might have worked if it was still the guy in gold, but seeing as how I just demanded from a colossal sized snake that could kill me with a blink of his eye, this might not end well.

"… You may call me Chronos."

"Chronos?"

"I will not reveal what I am, you asked for who I am, not what."

"So what are you?"

"I'm not going to say."

Really? Something tells me this adventure is going to be longer than I thought.

"I am here just to meet you and see what person was chosen for this."

"What do you mean by that?"

Chronos looked into the ceiling, breathing in deep. (Energy can breathe?)

"Think of me as a guardian of time, or at least an old guardian. This world, just like others before it, had been steered in the wrong direction, or a damaged timeline, and in each of those worlds a being is brought from across the cosmos to correct those problems. This is one of those cases and you are one of those beings." Chronos said nonchalantly.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You made it sound so simple! I mean, it's like you don't really care what happens to people in these journeys and the people their trying to help!"

"Emotions are overrated; I don't need to care, just so as long they fix the timeline." He said so…coldly.

"But…"

"However… your case is… curious."

What?

"What do you mean by _curious_?" I asked him.

"The usual mistakes in the other worlds are simply within their world. In other words: most problems caused by temporal displacement are because of some events not happening right. However in this timeline: there are traces…traces of sabotage."

Sabotage? "Hey, isn't that the same thing as being damaged or misplaced?"

"No, pay better attention, sabotage as in: some other cosmic force, like myself, has knowingly changed this timeline for the worse." Chronos explained.

I don't like where this is going…

"Good, you're getting it: you and I are now parts of this mysterious force's plan. I am saying this because I have only entered here and now I feel as if what I am doing is being closely observed. It is a powerful force as well as smart, since I barely detected foreign energy tampering with this time stream. You must be careful as you try to fix this world, each move you make, may decide the fate of far more than just one time line."

No pressure or anything.

"I will also inform you of some limits you have. Show me your guantlets."

I open up my palms to him. He stares into the symbols again, almost as if he recognizes these symbols.

"So what are these symbols all over my pads and gauntlets? Are they your symbol?" I ask. Chronos doesn't look at me, still staring at the symbol, but he answers back.

"No they are not mine… this symbol… reminds me of what was and what should have been…"

"What does that mean?"

"I… I lived in the era, before the great all consuming war of good and evil took place, it was normal to me then… but compared to now, a paradise and dream I wish I never woke up from. But being guardian of time, I'm not allowed to use my power for personal gain, no matter how much I want things to change." His character really changed when talking about his past… I felt sorry for him, so I decided to ask more about it.

"You lived before good and evil fought each other?"

"There was no such thing as good or evil then, only friends and opposites"

"So… what caused that war?"

"… We are straying off topic, before we met, have you noticed odd traits with your body?" I decided that was a story for another day and started to tell him what I noticed.

"Well, I am waaaay more physically fit than I was in my world. I'm faster, stronger, and more psychopathic than I was back home.

"Yes, that is nor- Did you say psychopathic?"

"I killed more than several men, in the most brutal way possible, with dual staves and I didn't show a piece of guilt and disgust in me."

"Dual staves? What, did the universe here just hate you and gave you almost nothing to defend yourself with?"

"… THAT CAN HAPPEN?!"

"Ugh, forget it; we are getting out of topic again, besides your psychological issues, your physical strength has been increased due to the change in physics in worlds."

"…"

"*Sigh* Ok, let me try this: You are basically like Superman as long as you're here."

"What?! I shall abuse my X-ray vision to the fullest!"

"To a radically lesser extent."

"AWW MAN."

"Let me explain: In the games you played, the people there seem to have a lesser gravity as they perform artful strikes, with jumping and etc. You come from a world with a stronger gravity. As such just like the Kryptonian, (But to a lesser extent) you have increased physical strength. Keep in mind you're still a human under a yellow sun here, so no healing, or flight, and… X-ray vision.

"Well I guess some super strength isn't bad. Oh wait though; when I tried to cut a risen in half with a sword I barely scratched his tunic."

"Those are the rules of fighting in this world, despite your increase in strength, your damage or strength in the usual rules of the game are normal, with your speed stat being only higher than most. Also, I paid attention to what weapon you were using, a silver blade: a rank B weapon. According to your stats you have a rank C in swords, a rank D in spears, and a rank E in spells."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute there, I can use spears and tomes? I have a stat board?"

"Yes, I took the liberty of looking it up after gathering data on you."

"How do you have data on me?"

"I have a chronicle of all the timelines I have visited and managed under me, which is almost every single branch of time in creation."

"Wow you weren't kidding when you said you were old."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, so I have a stat board? Can I see?"

"No." Chronos simply said.

The area around me started to fade away, Chronos then gave his last words.

"Our time is up, we will meet again soon. Be warned, Restorer: fixing this world may actually be the path towards destroying it."

* * *

I woke up to find myself in bed, right next to Streaky. I looked out my window and saw it was already night.

I was wondering about what Chronos said. "Sabotage."; some other worldly force, maybe even god-like, had messed up this specific timeline and I don't know if fixing this would actually help in his plan. No… wait; he does want me to fix it. If he wanted this timeline destroyed, wouldn't he have done so easily? If Chronos was barely able to find its energy, which would imply that he was trying to hide his presence from a guardian of time, how far beyond is it to have such power, and why did it try to hide itself? What about that gold guy? What does he play in all of this? Is he the mysterious force?

UGH! I can't think like this, I'm going for a walk…? Isn't that the guitar I was playing with this morning? I went to pick it up and I saw it had a shoulder strap. I still wanted to know what this guitar was, so I'll bring it with me. Before I closed the door, Streaky came out and stood beside my leg; I'm going to assume he is following me for a walk.

I'm wandering around the garrison again, wait I don't want to be indoors, I'll just go out. Hey what is that sound? Sounds like grunting and a crash? Streaky and I walk toward the noise to see Chrom, who destroyed another training dummy. He seemed tired, I spot a towel nearby and so I decided to walk up to him and give it to him.

"Yo, Chrom!"

"Huh? Knoll, your awake now?"

"Yea, by the way, (I toss the towel to him) what are you doing training out at night here?"

"It's much easier to clear my head when I'm training alone." Chrom said as he was wiping himself with the towel.

"Hey Knoll?"

"Yea?"

"Where did you hear that song?"

I wanted to just say the internet, but knowing that wouldn't worked, I lied like all people do under situations like these.

"In my old town, there was this place where they would hire a new music band for a dinner, each day. It was a town in a main road; so many people came from all over, it was called the _Inn Ternet_, don't ask me where they got the name. One day, I was passing by that place and I heard a man called Jimmy, sing that song. I guess it stuck with me also, because I would always stop near that place to listen to the musicians that would come and play their story."

"I see."

I noticed something off with Chrom, he almost seemed disappointed.

"What's the matter?"

"What?"

"Your voice kind of got softer, when I finished answering your question."

"… It's nothing…"

I respected that, Chrom didn't want to tell me. I picked up a practice sword, put away the guitar, and asked.

"Hey Chrom, mind teaching me a few swordplay, apparently my actually battle skill is near zero."

"Hmm, alright."

We took our positions, after bowing, we started the duel: Chrom began first by charging strait at me and opening up with a vertical slash. I recognized the positioning of his arm and side stepped away from the first slash, when he had finished his first slash; I tried to aim for his shoulder, but he blocked it before my practice blade could connect. Knowing about my previous fight between the axe men, I quickly broke the cross of blades, because I knew Chrom would easily overpower me. (Stupid random strength that barely applies to fighting.)

"You are a bit passive when fighting, in future fights; you're going to have to hurry up and beat the enemy in front of you. You're fighting style suggest your very good in duels and one on one, but in a war with something like risen, you're going to have to be more aggressive against overwhelming numbers." Chrom noted.

"Oh, thanks man." Aggressive, huh? I remember training a long time ago. I was in third grade and in that school and there was a program called Arnis. It was a martial style from the Philippines where it actually focused on swordplay, I also had two practice sticks with me when I was in that program, and it was fun. Why did I stop again? Oh right, I moved out of that town. But basically, I do remember having to make sure to be first to hit in practice duels, (like kendo) I guess I have to learn to be more aggressive.

Despite that long thought in my head, not much time has passed I have been only dodging most of Chrom's slashes, while he had been blocking mine. Though thinking, I wouldn't get anywhere with this rate I did something that surprised us both: I switched my blade to the reverse side. (Like those assassins, thieves, and tricksters, hold their blade.) I started to fight like; I was trying to punch him with an extra long arm. Now Chrom was on the defensive, but when he dodged one attack, he suddenly bashed me in the chest with his elbow. I fell down and I saw Chrom's blade pointing to my face.

"Nice tactic there, suddenly switching sword styles." He then gave me his hand and helped me up. "The initial surprise might be enough to leave a huge opening, against lesser disciplined warriors."

"Yea, thanks for the tip." I rub my neck feeling sore. I looked to see Streaky nearby the guitar I placed down. "Hey guess I'm calling it a night, thanks for the tips." I said this as I picked up my stuff and went back towards my room.

"Good night, we leave early tomorrow morning so be sure to eat an early lunch!" Chrom waved good bye as I entered back in. I guess he was still training, did he ever sleep? What was that thud? Did Chrom break something again?

* * *

So, its morning now and we are on our way to Regna Ferox. Chrom told us to pack some winter clothes because it would get colder up north, some of the donations included a few thick coats that would help all of us when we got there. We also had to be careful of our water and food supply, when reaching such a dramatic change in the weather.

I was listening to his speech and then I saw Stahl, running up to us, Vaike must have forgotten to tell him again.

"There were muffins, and cakes, and… Well, I can tell you all about it while we march." Stahl said sadly.

Luckily for him a packed a few of those goodies before going on this trip, I went up to him and said.

"I wonder how you're going to talk about it, if you are going to eat it at the same time." I handed him my packed meal.

"Wha? I can't take this, it's yours!"

"I already ate dude and I think a healthy breakfast is an important meal of the day, especially for warriors, so don't worry about it, I was just thinking of using it as a snack anyway."

"Thanks Knoll." Stahl said, as I simply replied.

"No problem."

Suddenly everyone started to raise their weapons; I saw to find Stahl back on his horse with a muffin in his mouth.

The Risen had appeared.

"Gods, have the risen spread this far?"

Ok back to game events now, there are more of them than I usually see in game. I think I even spot some risen Pegasus fliers. Of course there is something here to make things worse… Hey? What are doing on that bridge? I went to search for a telescope in the convoy, as I heard Lucile give the orders.

"There are too many of them, we are going to have to slowly pick them off one by one! Stay together! Have them swarm at us one by one. Chrom! You, Vaike, and Knoll at the front lines! Cavalry get behind the fighters and prepare flank attacks if they get overwhelmed. Virion, Lissa, your both with me as we give cover support and-"

"Huh where is my axe I had it awhile ago?" Vaike lost his axe, right.

"What?! Fine, Frederick your with Chrom and Knoll in front. Vaike you stay behind, since you don't have a weapon."

Hey it worked fine with me since I didn't have a weapon, but now I have a bronze sword and lance with me now.

I used the telescope to look over to the bridge, I gaped in shock with what I saw, but Lucile distracted me with her orders.

"Ok, people no reckless charging, they out number us! We are going to have to stay in a defensive position. Watch each other's back!"

"Lucile, change that tactic now!" I screamed.

"Knoll, are you crazy? How else do you suppose we deal with such numbers?" Chrom defended Lucile.

"What are you thinking, Knoll?!" Frederick was shouting at me too, but I silenced everyone, when I pointed over to the battlefield and said.

"The Risen are cutting down the bridge!"

* * *

**There and here is Chapter 2.**

**I don't really have much to say here, so I guess I will just save more notes for next chapter if I get the chance.**

**Oh wait i do have something to say: The family name Samda is Adams backwards, so I referenced an old cartoon from the 90's.**

**I might have more references of 90's cartoons in my upcoming chapters, maybe giving you savvy readers something to spot.**

**Oh and don't kid yourself, we all wish we had Superman's X-ray vision.**

**But that's all I'm thinking of right now.**

**I know singing and songs are kind of like "the elephant in the room." but I plan to use music in this story for conversation and etc., but don't worry the singing won't be that much.**

**So thank you and please review.**


	3. Update 3-BZZT ERROR

UPDATE # 3

PROGRESS: UNKNOWN

CORRUPTION OF FILE: DANGER

RECALIBRATING TEMPORAL AND SPACIAL ISSUES…

SEVERAL ERRORS FOUND…

SENDING PROGRAM TO REPAIR ERRORS.

CONTINUING PROGRAM…

MODE: RESTORATION OVERVIEW

* * *

"The Risen are cutting down the bridge!"

That got their attention; they all looked over to the bridge.

"Knoll, give me that telescope!" I gave the telescope to Lucile, who immediately saw what I saw: axe men and mercenaries were destroying the bridge.

"We can't let them destroy the bridge!" Chrom yelled.

"Alright people! Change of plans! Cavalry! Bring Virion, Chrom, and I with you. You are all going to charge in, and run over any Risen that get in your way! Virion, Chrom! You help me cover their backs as we ride along with them. Shoot at anything coming from the side, and be sure to deflect other mages and archers attacks, or in Chrom's case warn them. Knoll, you and Streaky have to catch up with us, but be sure to protect both Vaike and Lissa! Try to follow us in the path we clear! Also, keep a close eye for other things the extra pair of eyes misses. Let's go people! We can't let them destroy the bridge!" Lucile commanded quickly as she and Stahl paired up.

Ok, Chrom with Frederick and Virion with Sully that just leaves me with Vaike and Lissa.

Things get hectic here as we all try to push on through the army of risen. Virion was shooting at the dead Pegasi riders, and Lucile was taking care of all the land units who were trying to get close to the rampaging cavalry. I was at the back; Streaky and I were right behind Lissa and Vaike as they didn't have a means of fighting back. I had to fight the Risen that had gotten up after being rammed, and run over by the cavalry up front.

Jeez, since when did Risen get so smart? I truly doubt that Validar, Aversa, or even Grima, would command Risen to destroy bridges. Ugh, I wonder if this is related to that foreign force Chronos warned me about. Just what am I getting into?

The cavalry were almost at the bridge, a good thing too. Because the bridge didn't look like it would hold for much longer.

"Alright! Everyone off! Chrom, Knoll, and Virion! You're with me! We are clearing out the Risen on the bridge! Cavalry, man the forts! We will clear the Risen on the bridge as fast as we can, and help you hold your position. Lissa, Vaike get behind one of the forts; avoid any battle you see and be sure to help out heal wounds!" Lucile commanded.

I quickly kneeled and said something to Streaky. "Buddy, I'm going to go for a while watch Lissa and big oaf for me, ok?"

He barked and went with Lissa. Wow he really sounds like a dog. Focus Knoll I have to get with Chrom and the others.

The bridge was badly damaged by the time we came; some of the Risen actually fell through the bridge trying to get to us. Still, with those exceptions there were a lot of Risen.

"So tell me again why we didn't just run these guys over like we did a few seconds ago?" I said as I dodged a horizontal slash from a mercenary, and punched him hard in the face that sent him into the river.

"I can't risk the Cavalry coming here, and potentially destroying what's left of the bridge. Also, didn't you see some of those Risen?" she said as she took out her blade and stabbed an axe man through his heart. (Was that fencing just now?) "I can't risk them falling through here."

"Think again!" Chrom just blocked a spear man from hitting Lucile in the back. Wait, is there someone behind me too?! I looked behind me to see another mercenary on the ground, but this had arrows on him.

I looked over to Virion and said. "Thanks Virion!" He then shot an arrow at me.

He missed my head by an inch and hit an axe man by the face.

"No problem, good sir. However, you might want to focus on the fight." Virion said.

You jerk! I don't care how cool that usually is that freaking scared me! Oh right Risen.

I unsheathed my bronze sword. (You know for a low quality blade, I always wondered how it lasted longer than legendary weapons.) I went to a nearby axe man, and slashed off both of his arms. Following that up: I kicked his body to the river. I then noticed a shadow in the sky; one of the Pegasus knights was swooping down on me. Remembering the trick I saw Chrom do to me, I waited and dodged the lance at the last second and elbowed the rider in the chest. The rider fell off and I threw my spear at her torso. (Yes, I know it's not a javelin, but it worked.) The body flew back from the impact, and fell into the water. Oops, lost another weapon.

I looked around to see that the bridge was clear for now. Lucile then ordered us to return to the forts to back up the others.

As we went back, we noticed a large group of Risen coming from both the west and eastern sides.

"Knoll and Virion go help Frederick, Vaike, Lissa, and Streaky! Chrom! You and I are going to assist Sully and Stahl." Lucile really has a strong voice; it's so different from when you just talk to her.

Well anyway, Virion and I went over to the western fort where we saw Frederick just stab an axe man. I then saw Vaike, using a different axe, blocking an attack from a mercenary. Lastly, I saw Streaky ripping apart a few Risen that tried to get to Lissa.

"Frederick!" I shouted as he looked over to Virion and I. "The Bridge is clear for now! We are here to help clear this out!"

"Good there seems to be more coming. Virion, see if you can man one of the higher positions up and fire from there. We will handle anyone that might get to you." Frederick said.

I followed Virion to the top just in case there were some left over Risen somewhere there.

When we got up, I noticed the Risen were dwindling, but for some reason, one last group seemed to be going away from us. Were they running? What are they- Crap Miriel! I forgot completely! She was going to catch up with us!

"Virion, I need to go! Handle any Risen that try to get to me!" I ran downstairs as fast as I could. I couldn't hear Virion question where I was going as I was running down.

Passing by some of the fight in the fort, I shout out to Streaky. "Streaky! I need your help!" He immediately ran up to me, and we ran out of the fort. I heard Frederick asking where I was going, but I couldn't respond.

I ran like crazy, seeing if I could catch up with the group at the back. I dodged axes, swords, and lances, one after the other. After pushing through the front group and once again barley surviving another maelstrom of steel, I was close enough to see fire blasts flying off in the distance. (It is a good thing I am getting better at this dodging thing.) I rammed into an axe man who had his back facing me and saw what was happening.

Both Sumia and Miriel were back to back facing one of the last groups of Risen. Sumia seemed pretty decent when she wasn't on a Pegasus, while Miriel was blasting away the risen that got to close, but both of them looked really tired.

I charged in, slashing the necks of the Risen while they still had their backs turned to me. I only got to like two of them, before they turned around and started attacking Streaky and I.

I was able to draw the attention for half the Risen, but I was running low on stamina again. Crap, I really need to fix that soon. I saw a myrmidon come straight at me.

"Won't get past me." Something had just bashed the myrmidon down and then was stabbed by a spear to the torso, killing it quickly.

I realized who it was and I wanted to say thanks to Kellam, but I remembered we didn't even meet yet, so I had to play the fool again.

"What the?" I fake.

"You OK?"

I squint my eyes hard and I think I see him. "Oh yea thanks… you are?" I fake.

"I am Kellam, I'm one of the Shepherds, and I'm the guy who carried you back to your bed?"

"Oh that was you, thanks for that, guess I owe you two now."

"No problem."

"Come on, we have to help Sumia and Miriel!" I slashed one lance guy, as we made our way to them.

When we got to them they both looked to our general direction and seemed relieved. "Knoll! You're here, where are the rest?" Sumia said. Wait, did Sumia arrive late like Miriel? Is that why she is here?

"The others are in a position near the bridge; I broke formation to get to you three."

"Three?" Asked Miriel.

"Yea, apparently Kellam was here too… Hey? Kellam, where are you?" Where did he go he was right-

"Still right next to you." Oh my, bad dude.

"Sorry about that." I then jumped near Miriel and tackled a spear man, whom was close to attacking her.

"Hey… so do you forgive me, you know, for accidentally destroying your combustion salt?" I asked while dodging a spear man and decapitating his head.

"It was null spice and intriguingly the reason I had to stay behind was so I could remix the concentrated black wool with bat blood." Even when she is tired, Miriel is still so robotic.

She then casted a fire blast at me.

It missed and hit a myrmidon right behind me.

Really? Is that going to be a thing now?

"Concentrate within the battlefield." Miriel said. You know, I am less focused than I usually am. Is my ADHD coming back up again? Whoa, lance dude!

After slashing the guy that just tried to kill me, I took another look to the battlefield. The remaining Risen were all coming in this direction!

"Uh oh." That really isn't good. Are they aiming for me?

"Maybe I should have told the others about you guys being here, instead of running out on them in such a hurry." I was now backing up with the others.

"You mean they don't know we're here?" Kellam said.

"Uh…"

"Wait, but how did you know we were here?" Sumia asked, as she took a fighting position with her lance.

"I saw a group of Risen coming towards here; I remembered you guys were catching up with us, so I assumed that the group saw you guys, and went after the easier prey."

"I had no speculation of such thoughts and planning from these creatures." Miriel noted.

Yep, she's right, I'm now sure someone else is controlling these Risen.

Suddenly, Sumia tripped.

"Ouch, oh I'm such a klutz." Sumia said. Miriel helped her up, but while the women were down, the Risen suddenly rushed at all five of us.

Crap. I dodged both a lance man and a myrmidon, slashing the lance man's arms off as I did, and blocking a slash from the other after that. They myrmidon backed off, and three axe men came jumping, and bringing down their axes to me. However, only one of them was able to finish the attack only for me to dodge at the last second and cut of his neck and arms moments before he landed. The other two were stabbed by a javelin from Kellam, and tackled by Streaky mid air.

"Thanks guys." I say. I quickly take out the javelin form the other axe man and toss it back to Kellam.

"No need to thank me." Kellam quickly shield bashed a soldier who got close to hitting him.

Even with all of this going on, the Risen numbers grew too large and the five of us were started to run away.

"Waah! Ohh… I'm sorry guys." Crap, Sumia fell down again. I forgot about that.

We all went back to help her, but when she got back up the Risen had suddenly closed us in a circle, we were surrounded.

"This isn't good…" Kellam said as he readied his shield.

"I'm so sorry everyone; guess I'm no good after all." Sumia was really sad; I don't think she was supposed to have such low self confidence in the game. I need to fix that.

"Don't let it get you down! We are still alive and breathing; save that talk for one some actually dies! As long as I 'm still here, these monsters won't even cut a hair off Streaky!" I shout and I help her up. Good, she seems to have gotten her act back together.

"Thank you Knoll." Sumia said as she readied her lance.

I then looked back at the Risen around us; how the heck am I going to keep those words?

Alright planning time… uh… brain? Do your thing… now would be good…

Brainstorm! Wait no that was actual lightning flying past us and through the Risen just now.

"Sumia, Miriel, Streaky, and Knoll!"

I looked over to see Lucile, riding with Frederick, and the rest of the Shepherds I ditched in the safe and easy to defend forts.

"Um hello?" Oh right, I don't think these two have actually met yet.

"Hunh? Kellam? When did you get here?" Chrom said as he came off with Stahl.

"Sir, I have been following you all since this morning." Kellam said.

He was?

"You were?" I ask. I mean- now that i think about it, in the game he did-

"I was following you guys until you all ran like crazy toward the bridge. When I was trying to catch up, I saw Knoll running out, with his wolf friend, and going past me. I then decided to follow them." Kellam said while interrupting my thoughts.

Oh I didn't see him, but this time I have a legitimate excuse because I was busy dodging everything metal for a good forty five seconds. Wait, no that doesn't count, that only applies if he came around that time.

Sully with Lissa came in with Vaike and Virion coming in last place.

"Whoa? My axe!" Vaike pointed to an axe Miriel had attached to her side. Why didn't I notice that before?

"I wondered what manner of ignoramus would mislay their weapon. Now I know." Miriel said as she gave Vaike his axe. Vaike then tossed away a bronze axe. (Wait every one of those blasted risen had rank C or higher weapons, even the soldiers had steel lances, where did Vaike get a bronze axe?)

Everyone was now here; now I'm pumped up and ready to mow down-

"Unnngh…" What the? How was he the last Risen already?! Did I zone out while everyone else killed the rest of them? Wow I do lack focus.

"Is everyone alright?" Chrom asked.

I was really tired, granted I felt glad for actually doing way better than my previous fights.

"Everyone is accounted for, milord." Frederick reported.

"Looks like I'm gonna have a lot of work cut out for me. I wish Marribelle was here." Lissa was complaining.

"It's OK you could make use of some of the vulneraries or something." I reassure her.

"I wish you were a healer; you did have those two staves." She said to me.

"I don't know how to use magic." Though Chronos mentioned I could use tomes. I wonder if I could borrow one from Lucile or Miriel later on.

**CRASH!**

What the?! Everyone suddenly looked to the direction of the loud noise: the bridge collapsed!

Now debris is flowing down the river with some of the metal structure sticking out.

"I was afraid of this. The bridge was badly damaged by the time we came to it. I was actually wondering how we would all cross over it without it collapsing under us." Lucile said.

"That was the fastest route to Regna Ferox. Now we have to pick a new path. Lucile, Milord we have to find a new route quickly." Frederick said.

"Alright. Everyone rest a bit. Take time to heal your wounds and get better soon; we have a lot of ground to catch up." Chrom said.

*Sigh* That sucks; all of that and now we have to do more wor- ?

What is that in the distance? I wish I had the telescope, but it's with Lucile. Over there, just across the river… is that a person? Wha? Great, I blinked for one second, and it's gone.

Was I imaging things? But…that tall silhouette… was it holding my guitar? I could have sworn I left it in the convoy. Maybe I should check it out.

"…The Silencing Sounds…"

Holy!? What the heck was that?!

"You OK Knoll?" Stahl came up to me.

"Did you just say _silencing sound_?"

"What is that, some kind of oxymoron?"

"What? What is an oxy- Forget it! Did you just hear something say: _silencing sound_?"

"You mean besides you?"

"…Yes please." I had to hold in sarcastic remarks because it sounded mean, and I was never good with comebacks anyway.

"Sorry no, I didn't hear anything."

"Oh, thanks…"

Just what was that just now? It didn't sound like the gold guy: he had my voice. I doubt Chronos would appear across a river, having a guitar, and appear like a normal human. (Though, I'm not entirely sure he wouldn't do that.) What the heck!? Why do I have so many people messing with me? No wonder there is usually only one person guiding the whole cosmic event thing.

Oh my head, gotta do chores to stop self-headache.

* * *

It's been an hour of setting up tents; apparently this _planning quickly_ is another word for camping here for tonight.

I had just finished helping Stahl, Vaike, and even Kellam set up their tents. They all invited me over to a game of cards. (I didn't expect poker to appear in this world) I couldn't join them because of two reasons: I don't gamble and I don't have any money… OK you got me I also have no idea how to play the game. Still don't like the idea of gambling since I have terrible luck.

Now here I am taking a walk around camp by myself; Streaky was with Lissa and Sumia. Oh right, I forgot to mention: we found Sumia's Pegasus. I was kind of worried if it was beyond the bridge and that we wouldn't find it, but Sumia, Lucile, Chrom, and Lissa found it while they were gathering firewood; good to know she isn't going to be tripping in anymore important fights. Streaky was with both of them because it seems the Pegasus is also calmer with other animals.

… You know I probably should have stayed with the guys. They probably would have taught me the game if I just asked .They seem like good enough people. Was I just afraid to get close to other people again? I was always a loner wherever I went. I never stayed long in groups. Gosh, I really hate myself, no matter what I do I'm always so scared, so pathetic, heck I cried when I thought I was about to die! Everyone here would never give up: even in their dying quotes where they even care for others. I'm no hero; I don't even have a shred of courage, for even making good and close friends… Why the freak was a chosen?

I kick a stone as hard as I could. It flew right into the command tent Lucile, Chrom, and Frederick were. Since I had super strength when I wasn't fighting that rock sure did reach quite the blurry speed…

"Frederick?!"

Oh poop.

* * *

"Sorry about that…" I found myself helping Chrom, carry Frederick to a nearby bed. He was knocked out cold by the rock; thankfully, because Frederick was such a hardened warrior, there were no signs of bone dents or blood in that skull of his.

"How was a rock, kicked by you, able to reach such power and speed?" Lucile asked as she finished wrapping up Frederick's head with the bandages.

"Sorry had a lot on my mind. I was feeling kind of bad."

"Care to share your thoughts?" Chrom asked.

"Oh its fine really they will be gone by tomorrow. I was always told I was moody by my siblings." Those money thieving jerks.

"You know we don't really know much about you… want to talk about yourself a bit?" Chrom said as he handed me some tea.

"Well I don't know where to start real- Hey is this the route we are taking?" I got distracted by the map in the center of the room. I put the tea on the side of the table and took a closer look at the map.

"Oh this? Unfortunately that was the bridge here was the fastest route to Regna Ferox. The next bridge is a good two day walk from here." Chrom said as he pointed out a section in the map that was near some eastern mountains. "The thing here though is that it would take another two days to get back on the right track after getting to this bridge."

Something caught my eye as I looked at the opposite western direction of the plan. "Hey isn't that a lake? It seems closer to us than the other bridge; wouldn't it make sense to go around that instead and shorten our detour?"

"Yea, see Chrom? I told both you and Frederick about that, but you both seemed desperate to avoid this lake." Lucile added in.

"We were not desperate! We were concerned; there used to be a small village around this lake but everyone there abandoned it. Rumors spread in Ylisstol of the town being haunted."

"Your letting a rumor slow us down?" Lucile seemed frustrated.

"I saw those things for myself… well not really: you see, in one of our patrols, a group of bandits were having said to taken shelter in that village. Before we even got close to the lake some of the bandits were screaming towards us without their weapons. When they saw us they were crying tears of joy, and begged us to take them far away from that lake as possible. They even admitted to their crimes when we introduced ourselves as the Shepherds. They said jail would be a paradise compared to where they just were. I don't want to risk ourselves in even more danger. The Risen are trouble as it is."

He has got a point; I am a cautious dude. I have seen enough horror movies to know desperate people attract the most insane spirits. Wait, won't this slow us down by a lot though? And isn't the tournament between the khans also soon? Uh oh…

"Chrom listen, Ylisse is being harassed by Plegian bandits almost everywhere, and you said you needed to meet with the khans to face a new threat of the Risen! If we delay any longer there may be no Ylisse left to save!" Lucile just saved us all from another potential temporal displacement.

"Alright then… we will go; I just pray that it was all rumors…" Chrom said.

"Hey Chrom? What is the name of the lake anyway?" I ask.

"They call it the Lake of Crystal."

…We are freaking screwed…

"Well with that settled…" Lucile stretched her arms. "I'm calling it a night. A lady needs her beauty sleep, after all."

"Er…" Chrom said.

"…What? Did I say something?"

"Er, no… No, it's nothing. It's just that…"Chrom was starting to sweat. Is this their C support? "Well, I just didn't consider you the type to care after beauty and such…I suppose I've never really thought of you as a lady."

"Excuse me?!" Lucile looks angry.

Oh this is so much fun. I have never seen Chrom get so flustered. I slowly walk out of the tent and hear soft words of begging from Chrom. "Knoll! Get back here!"

"…Er, Lucile? What… What are you doing with that rock?" Oh ho ho, I'd start running if I were you Chrom.

Well it's time for me to hit the hay; maybe I'll meet Chronos, and ask him if Lake of Crystal isn't what I think it is. So… Still no Streaky? Guess he is staying with Sumia or Lissa. I flop to ma bed and make do with the last alphabets… what the heck was that?

* * *

Validar's Castle or Dragon's Table, I'll go with castle. So now it's time to discuss with Chro-

Really? REALLY? Who the flipping freak is this guy?!

"Hello Knoll." There was a man in a red suit. He had black hair, a handsome face, he looked around to be thirty, and he had black eyes. No he had all black eyes! There was no trace of white in there.

"Uh… Howdy?" Smooth.

"So Knoll, have you made any progress in being close to the people here?" He sat down holding a notepad and writing something down. Where did that chair come from?

"I guess I have, maybe a little… Um who are you?"

"Me? Why I'm here to make sure you save this world, and what better way to do that by pushing you to be closer with your friends. Maybe you'll get lucky you will finally have your first kiss, and be married no less, to one of those beautiful women!" He came in a nudged my shoulder.

"That is nice and all, but I asked for your name."

He walked back a few steps infront of me and sat down on a made up chair. "Hmm… Just call me Red Man."

"Red Man?"

"I can't truly reveal myself; Chronos asked me to watch that psychological part of yours which seems to be quite the storm."

"Oh Chronos sent you. Well it's nice of him to send someone to help me with my troubles."

"Yes, a hero must always have noble courage and do what is right that saves everyone. He also isn't supposed to have such grueling fear of making social contact."

"Yea… I guess I have some issues I need to get off me."

"Don't let it all get to you! You are in a new world, so it also means a fresh start! Everyone has problems, but together as a whole you'll cover that weakness and shine even brighter!"

"Heheh you're very cheesy Red Man."

"You know cheesy isn't really an insult."

"Yeah you have a point, I do feel better talking to you; I'm ready to help save this world!"

"A pleasure doing my job Restorer."

"Oh can you also give some advice on the timeline, and how I 'am doing?"

"Depends… what is it?"

"I'm heading towards the Lake of Crystal. Please tell me it's not what I think it is."

"? Oh I'm sorry Restorer, but just like Chronos: I really don't pay attention to details."

"Oh… it's fine then…" Odd, did he just scowl? No... I was probably imagining it.

"But, I will say this: The energy that Chronos detected has odd properties; some of it has caused unique anomalies in the timeline. This Lake of Crystal maybe a parallel to what you believe it to be, and if that is the case, chances are there will be others as well."

"So I'm basically dead if it is what I think it is…"

"No just because something is parallel doesn't exactly mean it's the same. If anything, it gives you an advantage because you know what to expect."

"I never thought of it like that. Thanks Red Man. You are way easier to talk to than the other two."

"Two?" He tilts his head.

"Oh right, before I met-"

* * *

"Oof!" I woke up with Streaky who had just pounced on my stomach. "Ugh Streaky… I was having a good dream." Not exactly good but progressive.

"Sorry Knoll, but we're all getting ready to move now. Hurry up and eat breakfast."

Stahl? Oh I overslept… odd, something is telling me that shouldn't have happened.

* * *

So now we are heading towards Lake of Crystal. *sigh* I really hope there are no forms of chain saws and hockey masks here. In the distance it looks like a normal village town, but up close it's a ghost town.

"Look at this place; it's all so old everything just seemed to rot here." Stahl said.

"You're right. I'm really scared something is gonna pop up and scare the crap out of us."

"What's the matter afraid of ghosts?" Vaike said mocking me again.

"Yes…" I was to tense to try and defend my actions.

"Hunh? Really well don't worry Knoll ol' Teach can protect ya."

"You know anti evil spirit techniques?"

"No…"

"Well it was nice knowing ya Vaike."

"I fail to comprehend why you are so paranoid during this debouch." Miriel walked up to us. She was reading a book while talking to us; I forgot that she was a multi tasker.

"Well, I just have a bad feeling about haunted places."

"I don't accredit false and excogitative thoughts beyond reason." Miriel went back to reading her book.

"I kind of feel bad for this place, left all alone to rot." Who said that?

"Uh, Kellam did you say that?" I looked around but I didn't see him.

"Yes I did why?"

"I- where are you?"

"I'm right behind you."

I looked back to see Kellam towering over me. "Oh didn't see you there."

"_Hahahaha…_" that sounded like a little girl just laughing right now.

"Uh… Lissa is that you?"

"Wasn't she ahead with the rest of them?" Stahl said.

"Hey when did it suddenly get so foggy?" Vaike asked. Fog suddenly appeared and quickly thickened.

"GRRRR…" Streaky was growling loudly, and he suddenly took a fighting position.

"Streaky?" I look to him. I hear soft whispers and laughter around us.

"Whoa boy, calm down!" Stahl's horse was getting tense as well.

"Guys? Where are the others?" Kellam said as he pointed beyond us. We were only a few paces behind the rest of them then the fog suddenly separated us.

"Hey! Chrom! Can You Hear Us!?" No answer… I don't like this.

"BARK! BARK! BARK!" Streaky suddenly ran into an old house.

"Crud, Streaky get back here!" I followed him into the ruined home.

"Whoa, Knoll wait up!" Vaike followed me.

I followed Streaky into the beat up and rotting house. Crap this house is so creepy, where did Streaky go? Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud. I am so dead right now. Did someone touch my shoulder?! "AAAAAAAAAHHAHHHAHHHHH!"

"Ouch! The Vaike knew you had a good voice, but Teach didn't expect it to be strong to."

Thank whatever it was Vaike. "Sorry Vaike, but I hate this so much…"

"I can see that, you seem so scared." He laughed when he said that. Can he not read the mood?

"I can't find Streaky, I was sure he ran into this house…" I was too much in panic to listen to Vaike's teasing.

"Hey, Knoll?"

"What is it? I'm still looking for Streaky…" Where is he-

"Remember how we heard a little girl awhile ago?" I stop what I'm doing.

I don't like the way he asked that…

"Why?" I look to him and he just points behind me.

"Isn't that her behind you?"

…

Must…not… look…

Oh crud.

"_Hello... have you seen my daddy?" _a-a-a a… whi- white little… girl….

She had long black hair, and she was as short as a toddler. Her eyes where hidden behind her hair, but it looked red. Oh, and she wore a white gown that covered her entire body. She is definitely a ghost.

"What are you doing little girl? Did you get lost?" Vaike?! Please tell me you don't think she is real right?!

"_Lost? No… I never met my dad, but I want to meet him!" _

Crap that sounds like those obsessive spirits.

Vaike kneeled down to meet the girl… You OAF! "What?! Hey don't be sad. I know what that's like." He tries to pet her head but his hand phases through her head… Now you get it.

"_REALLY? Will you help me find my daddy then?" _she suddenly walked to Vaike.

"Uh, well… Teach is…"

"_Oh thank you! I know where we can look first…" _ Her hair started floating up…

"Vaike! RUN!" I sprint out off the house as fast as I could.

I ran and ran and after a while, I took a scan around me… did I just end up in the same place?

Crap, that wasn't heroic, I ditched Vaike… Ugh, he may never forgive me… What the heck do I do?! Why was I so scared to tell Vaike she was a ghost?! Stupid me!

"Vaike? You there Vaike?! Stahl!? Kellam!? Anyone!?"

Oh no, oh gosh, oh-

Whoa! What touched my back again?! What?! Oh phew… It's just the convoy… And something is moving inside it…

I know this is stupid, but I need something if I want to somehow figure what the blasting nuggets is happening!

I slowly open up the convoy… and came face to face with…

Streaky! Oh thank you! I want to hug that mangy mutt, but before I do, I notice he is biting on something.

I see him biting on the strap of my guitar! Wait a sec…

=Flashback=

"…The Silencing Sounds…"

Holy?! What the heck was that?!

=End of Flashback=

I take the guitar from Streaky and strap it to me; I remove the bronze blade and put it back in the convoy. I really don't think a weapon is going to help me here, and it would just slow me down with the extra weight.

Alright, armed with a magic guitar and my enigmatic sidekick, it's time to… uh… do what exactly?

"*Whimper*" Streaky is pointing me to somewhere, alright follow the wolf!

Ok, so what to do… Maybe if it's a ghost like that people usually try to ease their pain right? So they can move on? So since it's a little girl that doesn't seem psychotic and obsessed with killing, there maybe a chance to reason with her…right?

Streaky stopped as we came to what seemed to be a large willow tree in the middle of the town. I don't remember seeing this when we were entering here. When I took a look at the bottom of the tree I saw Chrom and Lucile! They were sitting down on the roots and had a blank look in their eyes. What is more they were wearing something weird: Chrom looked more like a noble now; he wore a beautiful uniform that made him look like those princes in Disney. Lucile had her hair down, and was wearing those pretty and poofy dresses you see in dancing halls.

Crap, this must be that scenario where the spirit confuses living people with people from her previous life, if I don't stop her, she will drag the two most important people of this time line with her to the afterlife. I can't let that happen!

Before I can even move. I hear a voice behind me.

"_Hello… do you want to play with us? Teeheehee."_

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**So this ends Chapter 3 of System Restoration. The timeline here must be damaged badly if spirits are now playing major roles in this adventure. Think Knoll has the tenacity to figure out how to stop a spirit? **

**I have a feeling a sudden ghost story may not be a good idea to add, but I wanted to show how messed up the timeline really was. If something like a horror story could be in a distorted timeline it could allow me more branches and ideas for this story.(A ghost story is different from horror story. Please don't expect me to make something equivalent of the Ring in a story.)  
**

**If you don't like it well then review. I guess I could change it or rewrite it completely if it is too random or something. I just wanted something that made me more original to this story.**

**Remember: I can't change anything unless I get those reviews.**

**Thank you for your time and please review. (Oh I didn't write about any old cartoon here, unless you want to count the reference to Jason or Crystal Lake.)**


	4. Update 4

Update # 4

PROGRESS: INTERFERENCE DETECTED

CORRUPTION OF FILE: DANGER

SYSTEM RESTORATION HAS BEEN SLOWED.

CORRECTING FILE… RECALIBRATING ANTI ANOMALY SUBTOOLS.

CATASTHROPIC FAILURE DETECTED: IN SUB CH. 2 AND PRE CH. 3

RECALIBRATING TEMPORAL FILES, FOR EFFICIENT RESTORATION.

MODE: OVERVEIW.

* * *

"_Hello… do you want to play with us? Teeheehee."_

Cue potential brutal death scene.

"… Depends… What game do you want to play?" Streaky is hiding behind my leg and growling.

"_Ooh! Let's play house! You can be the big brother, and he can be our family pet! My mommy and daddy can play mommy and daddy!" _

Uh oh. I don't think that's a good idea, but it did give me a good(?) idea.

"Hey, let's play this game I have in mind. It's really fun and it's similar to house." Ok, I take that back this plan is crazy, but I already started: really hope this works.

"_What is it? Big Brother?"_

Crap my life is on the line now, not that it wasn't before, but… No Knoll, it's time to finally show what you're made off. I really hope this plan works.

"It is called Fairy tale! It's a game like house, but instead of it being all fictional: we act out parts that happened to our lives. It's simple really: first, we start out the story with your life, when something bad happens; we change it and make something good happen instead!" I know it sounds stupid, but this might give me a better chance of survival than the alternative.

I know spirits only stay in this world because of some bad experiences. I'm hoping this game will help me learn of her actual past, and somehow help me show her the error of her ways.

"_But I don't like my reality…" _Crud, her hair is floating up. Hey wait… she looks so sad.

"This is why I will be there! When something bad happens in your pretend reality just imagine your new family at the end of your story!" I try to calm her down; funny, I always did this whenever my little sister got upset. Really hope this works…

"_Promise?"_

It just hit me: I forgot about the spirit's feelings. She was once human; a little girl no less.

… I smile as wide as I could because now I know that I'm not only trying to save my friends life; I'm saving hers as well. "I will never stop caring for you… Um, but first what's your name again?"

"_My name is Nana! What is your's?"_

"I'm Knoll… Knoll Highlander"

"_I never had a last name before…"_

I'm risking everything on this. I just hope she won't get obsessed over me. "I can let you share my last name when we are done playing."

"_Really?"_

"Yes really… so can we start the game from where your life began?"

"_Ok!" _Her hair floated up and her eyes shined bright, and enveloped Streaky and I.

* * *

Ugh my eyes… Hey I'm back in town, yet it actually looks new now.

"Hail Traveler! Are you a musician?" I saw one of those generic villagers say to me. (The ones without pots on their head.)

"…Uh, yes… I am a musician in training! I travel the world to be inspired by its beauty, and write the melody of the earth!" Role-playing ftw.

"Really? That is quite the poetic life you live." His gaze suddenly moves to my feet, "Maybe you could play a song fo- WOLF!"

"WOLF?!"

"Wolf you say?"

"Don't let it eat our livestock again!"

"Hide the kids Larry!"

"Yes dear."

An angry mob of farmers and peasants were forming in front of me.

"Wait guys calm down. He is with me!" I tried to tell them.

"What?!"

"That's terrible!"

"My beloved Billy was eaten by that thing!"

"Take that fur ball out of here!"

"Mum I keep telling ya: I'm right here, and ma name's Beethoven now."

Then they started whacking me with their brooms, purses, and farming tools. Déjà vu, so this world _does_ hate me.

"Alright alright, that's enough torturing the poor lad."

When everyone (but the old lady) stopped whacking me, I looked up to see an old man. He was probably the village elder. However, despite his old appearance he had a healthy looking build. If it wasn't for his long beard and really white hair, I would have assumed this man to be at his late forties.

"Elder Javon!"

"Now now, why do you all keep calling me elder? I worked hard to have a physique like this at seventy five years, but I'm getting of topic. Halens, please stop whacking him now." Thank you mister voice of reason, "Seeing how this man and his wolf have entered the center of town without a single loss of livestock, I'm quite sure that they both mean no harm."

Everyone murmured amongst themselves, and so the mob went back to their daily routines. Javon, the town elder, walked up to me and bowed his head down.

"You'll have to forgive my friends. They can be quite lively at any given excuse."

"Oh, you don't need to worry at all! This has happened to me in the last town I was in, so I understand the situation."

"Really? I imagine having a wolf as a companion is quite the hassle. Now I was here when you called yourself a musician in training, I would be honored to hear you play a song."

Crud, I don't know if my magic guitar would work if I played it now; I never had a chance to test it out.

"Well I would, but I would like to rest a little after getting beat up by a mob." Lying skill: Level= believable.

"Ha! I understand; right, let me welcome you to the village: Diamond Waters. It was named after living nearby the Lake of Crystal. Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Javon Guil, and the elder of this town." He said with a smile.

"Well my name is Knoll Highlander, and this fluffy companion of mine is Streaky." I point to Streaky, who was sitting beside my leg unscratched, lucky. I then remembered how I got here, so do I go and look for Nana? "Umm, sir?"

"Please, call me Javon."

"Alright then, Javon, have you seen-"

"Nanalie the Nobody~ Nanalie the Nobody~!"

Javon and I turned to the center of the town square, and saw a little girl crying under a willow tree with other kids picking on her and chanting mean names. Javon quickly went to the kids.

"Kids! Go Home!" Javon scared all the children back to their homes, and he and I went to see if the girl was ok.

"Nana are you alright?" Nana?! She is the ghost? (Well I guess it was obvious.)

The little girl looked up at Javon, and her eyes were red and soaked, "Grandpa…"

"I told you to stay with Lala at home." Javon took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

… Lala?

"Lala wanted to see the Aqua flowers bloom… I went to go get some and show her." She pointed to the ruined, blue, and pretty flowers on the floor near her. "But they came to me and started it again." She was starting to get teary eyed, but Streaky came to her and licked her tears. Immediately after that she started giggling and laughing, "Haha That Tickles! Doggy! Doggy!" She started rubbing Streaky's face.

"Is he really a wolf?" Javon looked stupefied, yet he was happy that a wild animal helped calm down the troubled little girl.

"He is special friend alright." I kneeled down and met with the girl and asked her, "Hey let's go pick up some flowers for Lala, ok?" So is Lala like the Elder's wife? Did they find Nana and name her after her? Nana must be really close to her, if she is willing to come out and disobey Javon to get flowers for her.

Her face suddenly reddened when she saw my face. Did she have a crush on me? She suddenly said, "Th-thank you! Please follow me!"

"Oh? How cute, you have a fan now." Javon teased.

"Ha ha… Thanks. So what are Aqua Flowers?" I asked as Streaky was still being cuddled by the human-past Nana.

"Well as you can see we are all overboard with the water theme, and it is all because of these flowers. They grow only in this area in all of Ylisse. They are this town's greatest treasure, and they bloom only once in every fifteen years."

"They must be really pretty then."

"Yes actually, since they are close to blooming soon, many people have come over the kingdom to see it. Rumor has it Queen Matris is coming to visit this time."

Matris? "… Ah sorry I travel a lot, so I don't know who she is."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of her. She is the wife of our… Exalt Contemno; A vicious man who hates Plegia with a burning passion. He has enlisted our people against their will in a War that is starving our lands. However, his wife is gentle and soft spoken woman. Everyone seems to pity her and her children Princess Emmeryn, Prince Chrom, and the new Princess Lissa." Javon finished explaining as we got in got view into the lake.

I was surprised to learn of the names of Chrom's parents, but I was in awe when I came into view of the actual lake. The Sun's light was reflecting off the lake and it shone brightly; truly making it a _Lake of Crystal_.

"Wow… is why this is called Lake of Crystal?" I say while taking in the wonderful view.

"No matter how much time passes, I can never get over this sight and the look of the people who first see this lake." He places his hand on my shoulder, "Come on, Nana and Streaky went this way."

He showed me over to a large gathering of people where. There were many people there; most of the people here were nobles. They were all staring at the mini field of blue buds near the edge of the lake; they were waiting in anticipation of the uncommon blooming of the flowers.

In one of the corner edges near the lake, I saw Nana and Streaky, picking up one flower and suddenly heading back to us.

I ask, "Is one flower enough?"

"Oh, yes it should be. These flowers are rare, so people are allowed only one flower, but in Nana's case this just means she won't get one for herself."

"She can have mine and Streaky's"

"Haha! Streaky doesn't count. Sorry, but could you also give your flower to Lala too?"

"Sure, so who is Lala?"

"She is Nana's twin sister."

…

…

WHAT?!

"Sh-she has a twin sister? Where is she then?" I ask. A sister?!

"Well… she-" He was interrupted by the cooing of the crowd. They were all standing and looking towards the lake and the Aqua flowers. I looked over to what they were gawking at- Oh my…

When the Aqua flowers bloomed, they let out their pollen to scatter into the wind. The pollen was so colorful; it varied from almost every color and every shade you could think, and as it scattered in the wind, the pollen turned the crystallized light from the lake into a rainbow… A Pool of Rainbows. The sight was amazing. It was like all the colors in the world were dancing in the light and water melding to make the most beautiful shades and lightings I ever saw.

After a few minutes of colorful awe, it died down and everyone was applauding in standing ovation as if they had witnessed a symphony of the angels. (Whoa, it was so pretty it turned me to a poet.) I looked over to Nana and Streaky, who both were still in shock at the spectacle that just happened. I was suddenly snapped back to my senses when I heard Javon talk to me.

"Beautiful isn't it? This is my fifth time watching it, and it never ceases to amaze me."

"That was amazing." Was all I could force myself to say.

"… About… gods… about Lala…" Javon almost seemed to be in tears.

"You don't need to tell me now."

"But I need to at least show you; follow us to my home please."

He turned away walking slowly as Nana and Streaky caught up with him, and walked along side him. As I was walking I noticed one group of nobles who caught my eye: There was a gorgeous woman holding a blonde toddler in her arms, on her leg a little boy of five with blue hair, and on her other side a girl around the age of eleven with a face much like her mother. Though, this girl had the mark of the exalt on her forehead. Wait… they were all here? Wow… they are so cute!

Crud, have to follow Javon.

I entered into Javon's home, and it was pretty normal. Nana ran quickly ran quickly to a room at the back of the house. I wanted to follow her, but Javon stopped me first.

"Now about Nana and Lala, three years ago on a dark and stormy night-"

"Achoo! *sniff* Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's alright. Now as I was saying: I heard a knock on the door from my house; when I opened the door I didn't see anyone, until I saw on my door step a basket, and in that basket I saw two babies." He then started leading me into the room Nana went into, "When I peeked into it I saw a beautiful young child and when I looked onto the other one…" He opened the door to the room after his pause.

"It was so beautiful Lala! I wish you were there!" Nana was sitting on the bed, and she was right next to a girl, but with this girl, she had a burn scar on her face. She looked like a little girl version of Two Face. I froze for a second, compared to Nana, Lala was (dare I think) hideous or almost scary, but despite that she had a bright smile just like her sister. I quickly shook myself and introduced myself.

"Hello, my name is Knoll Highlander, what is your name?" I sit down on the bed, and for a while everyone stares at me in an awkward silence. Did I do something wrong?

"My- my name is… Lala." Her normal side of her face was blushing, and she brought the blanket to hide her mouth while she was facing away from my face. She then asked something odd, "Aren't you going to be afraid of me?"

… No, I understand what it means to show your ugly side to people. You, on the other hand, are just as pure and gentle as your sister, and I immediately saw it in your eyes.

I held out my hand, smiled a big, goofy smile, and told her, "Why would I be afraid of such a brave girl?"

"Hahaha!" I looked back to see Jovan holding in some tears, and grinning like an idiot which was understandable.

"Hey, there is someone else I would like you to meet." I call over to my friend who stayed at the living room, "Streaky come in here!"

Streaky came in and jumped on to the bed causing both girls to squeal as they bounced up from Streaky's jump to the bed.

"OOH! A doggy! Aww he is so cute!" Lala said as both girls started to rub and play with Streaky by pulling its face.

"Actually he is a wolf; the best wolf in the world!" I say as I pat Streaky's head and say, "I promise to feed you all of my meat for a week if you survive this, haha."

"Knoll, can I talk to you for a second?" Javon asked. I nodded and went out of the bedroom with him.

When the door closed he got onto his knees and bowed to me again, "Thank *sob* you. Thank you so much…*sob*" I helped him up from that.

"Hey no need for that all I did was introduce myself." I help him sit in one of his chairs, and I took his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to him. I sat down on the opposite end of the table.

"No… you became a friend to _both_ of these girls. Something that no one I have met has ever done, not even…" He suddenly stopped.

He opened his mouth again, but there was a sudden frustration in his voice, "If only you were a noble…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Lalamir and Nanalie… are to be separated later this afternoon." He held his face as if he was ashamed.

"Why?" I was starting to have a terrible feeling.

"I- I need to tell you from the beginning. You see, Three months back, Lalamir suddenly fell ill. The doctor told me she had some unknown disease, but he believed it to be the cause of her being indoors for a large portion of her life. You understand why right? Everyone, but us, saw her as some kind of- monster. Why would they think that? Regardless, He said that there was a physician that could better help and probably cure Lalamir, but he said he was too expensive for us. One week before the blooming today, a rich noble man and his friend, the same physician, came here to relax. When I heard of this, I immediately went with Nana to somehow beg him to heal Lala."He stopped and breathed in deep…

After a few moments which seemed like forever, he continued, "When we got to them, the physician explained that he was there to help his friend ease his pain from the loss of his daughter, but I- *bangs hand on the table* I wish I didn't bring Nana with me. When the noble saw Nana, he started calling her by his daughter's name Fortuna. That made him go crazy as he begged Nana to come back home with her. When he was pacified enough, I talked to the Physician, but he said there were rules and regulations he had to abide by, and he couldn't help me without the money. Nana heard this and did something I didn't know she could do…" Javon started sobbing again.

When he stopped he looked into me with such sad eyes, "She made a deal with the noble and the Physician. She would live as Fortuna from now on, so that the noble would pay his friend to look at her sister."

I was in shock; how was a three year old able to understand so much?

Javon continued, "I tried to talk her out of it, but she needed to do this for her sister. Later on today, both of them are coming here to check on Lala and take away Nana." He finally stopped. He had a look of despair and defeat; two things which should never be together.

"I told Lala what had happened, and sh- she- by the gods. She apologized to both of us for causing so much trouble. If only things were different! I wish, I pray, and I hope that maybe there was another way to help save those poor girls… They both deserve better."

"I… I don't know what to-" I was interrupted by knocking on the door.

Javon quickly wiped his eyes off, and opened the door. Outside, were a carriage and two men one who had a bag with a medical symbol on it, and the other was a finely dressed man.

"We are here." The Physician said.

"Fortuna? Where is she?" The broken noble said. Never had I been so angry with a man in my entire life.

"I'm here…"

Javon and I looked to see Nana and Streaky. Streaky was whimpering and licking Nana's face. Nana then hugged Streaky really tight, and left him she walked out of the house and went into the carriage with the noble.

Both of them left in that carriage. We all watched as the carriage left beyond our eyesight. I felt my heart sink after it left.

"Let me see her sister now…" The Physician said.

We showed him into the room. Though, the moment he saw Lala's face…

"WAAAH! MONSTER!"

Something in that moment made me snap, I grabbed the collar of the man when he tried to run away, and slammed him into the wall, "You promised a little girl that you would look at her sister! If you dare say something like that again or if you ever break a promise like that, I will personally show you a real monster!" I push him back into the room and block the exit making sure he did his work.

Everything was in another awkward silence, but he was finally keeping his end of the bargain. This was all very bitter-sweet with mostly bitter.

Then there were screams, people were running away yelling out madly. In the air, something smelled like burning.

No, not now. Bandits were attacking.

"Javon! Do you have a weapon?"

"I hang an Iron Sword over the fire place…"

I sprint out off there and take the blade down. I head out, passing the running crowd to meet with these bandits. Curse them! They choose now to attack? I then saw a bunch of people in red with weapons burning a house nearby.

"Oi, looky there be some wee lad wanting to play h-" He didn't finish. I threw my blade at his head and it impaled him instantly killing him.

"You dastard!" They all suddenly charged at me, but something was wrong. My anger felt so overwhelming. Usually, I would have taken one of them out one at a time, yet I found myself charging into them.

I had no remorse for these… monsters. I saw some myrmidon trying to cut me. Since his shoulder positioning told me he was swinging horizontally, I dodged and punched him in the neck; he was sent flying through a wall in the first house he came into contact with. Something was making me see things slower; I felt my brain moving faster and everyone else looked almost like data to me. The more I fought, the more I seemed to notice things: whenever I saw someone, I was recognizing all of their movements.

Arrow noise, duck; sword, dodge, take, cut arms; Axeman, sidestep, elbow chest, stab impact area; Axeman, throw blade at neck; Mage, jump towards, hammer smash head… ANALYZING… REINFORCEMENTS ARRRIVING. USING ACROBATIC MANUVERS TO AVOID ALL INTIAL ATTACKS. RECALIBRATING… INITAIL ATTACK OVER, ESTIMATED: 6.43 SECOND FOR THEM TO RETALIATE. ACTIVATING SHEER FORCE IN LEG MOVEMENT TO ALLOW CRITICAL DAMAGE IN ESTIMATED WINDOW. CASUALTIES: 12 OUT OF 20. NOTE: SOME TARGETS ARE ESCAPING… PURSUE? NO. SUB DIRECTIVE CONFIRMED: KILL ALL BANDITS PRESENT.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"…Ja-Javon? Ugh my head… what the? Why am I on a pile of bodies? The last thing I remember was being angry because… Hey, my hand, it's covered in blood. So are the other parts of my body. What happened?

"GRANDPA!" … Lala?! Shoot! I run back as fast as I can back to the house, but when I got there I saw the door broken down. I hurry up and dash inside to see a man in Lala's room smack away Streaky. I quickly took a look at my surroundings as I charged at the bandit: The physician was dead; there were some dead bandits who were clawed and mauled by, presumably, Streaky, and Javon stabbed in the chest, which was near the door. I tackle the bandit and lift him to throw him out of the window. Ignoring on how my super strength works, I went up to Lala, "Are you alright?"

"MONSTER!" She cried on her bed and hid under her sheets. I looked at myself; I brutally killed a dozen bandits because of something… and I just beat a man to death in front of her. I was also covered in blood. She was right, I am a monster. I hung my head in shame and I went to see Streaky he was hurt but he looked ok. I then heard coughing coming over from the bed.

"Lala?" I quickly run over to the bed, remove the sheets and see her coughing blood.

"I-it hurt *cough* hurts- so much…"

"Lala please hold on it will be alright." What am I saying? Oh gods, this is cruel.

"I wish… I wasn't Lala..."

"Don't say that!"

"Nana got everything… why do I have to die?" She started coughing blood again.

"You- you were just unlucky." I sound like a fool; No, at this moment, I am the greatest fool ever.

"I wish I had a mommy a daddy… Maybe…Just like the family Nana… went." Her voice was getting softer.

"Please stop saying that."I was crying.

"Knoll, I'm sorry for calling you a monster…" She closed her eyes.

Oh my- WHY?! WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?! AAAAGGGGHHHHH! …Oh why…

Lala…

* * *

After sobbing a while, I looked up to see a ruined room; it looked like Lala's room, but ruined. I suddenly remembered everything: The ghost, Vaike, Lucile, and Chrom, I spot Streaky unconscious at the same spot he was knocked out. I carry him out and walk back towards the willow tree, there I meet with… Lala.

"Lala?"

"No I'm Nana. I'm not a monster and I'm finally going to be adopted." Oh Lala…

"No! Lala please don't do this! They are my friends! You know this is wrong!"

"Wrong? I deserve it! I had nothing, she had everything!"

"You are wrong! You know she had to give herself up to cure you."

"But I died anyway!"

"That was a tragedy!"

"No! she planned it, she hated me too!"

"NO! By the gods, no! She loved you Lala."

"Prove it, prove that I was wrong! Prove… please prove… I'm not a monster."

"… Follow me…" I start walking away from them.

I keep walking, thinking about how this all happened: Just some unfortunate events happening to good people. Oh how simple it sounds, how tragic it really is.

"Where are we going… Bro?"

"Something… That you should have seen on that day." The fog was finally lifting as we saw what just was as breath taking in that past or illusion or whatever.

The lake sparkled under the sun; it had its lights dancing in the surface of the water. I felt a sudden cold feeling in my hand, Lala had held my hand, and I squeezed it tight.

With my free hand I laid Streaky down gently and I took out the guitar off my shoulder. I sit down on the ground and ask Lala, "Can I borrow my hand really quick?" She let go and I relaxed. I let my hands and mouth move by themselves, but this time a different song came out. When I started singing, the Aqua Flowers bloomed again and their pollen mixed with the light; this made another beautiful symphony of dancing colors once more as it did so long ago…

**"I'll Be"(by Edwin McCain)**

The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful  
Stop me and steal my breath.  
And emeralds from mountains thrust towards the sky  
Never revealing their depth.  
Tell me that we belong together,  
Dress it up with the trappings of love.  
I'll be captivated,  
I'll hang from your lips,  
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above.

I'll be your crying shoulder,  
I'll be love's suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older,  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

And rain falls angry on the tin roof  
As we lie awake in my bed.  
You're my survival, you're my living proof.  
My love is alive and not dead.  
Tell me that we belong together.  
Dress it up with the trappings of love.  
I'll be captivated,  
I'll hang from your lips,  
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above

And I've dropped out, I've burned up, I've fought my way back from the dead.  
I've tuned in, turned on, remembered the things that you said

I'll be your crying shoulder,  
I'll be love's suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older,  
I'll be the greatest fan of your...  
I'll be your crying shoulder,  
I'll be love's suicide  
I'll be better when I'm older,  
I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

The greatest fan of your life.  
...greatest fan of your life.

I looked over to Lala. She was in her real form with the same hideous face that I learned to love in an instant. She asked, "Was this… all for me?"

"Yes, yes it was." The light show was amazing as it continued, but a figure suddenly appeared from the spectacle.

"You really are an amazing musician; it was quite the shame I couldn't hear you play in my life."

"Javon?"

"Grandpa?"

"Knoll, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you again." He held out his hand to Lala, "Lalamir come with me, there are some people I want you to meet."

"Who are they?" Lalamir asked as she slowly floated towards him.

"You're going to meet your real parents. They are very wonderful people, and they are sorry for causing you both so much trouble."

"So what's their excuse?" I ask I bit frustrated.

"They died on their way home and a friend of theirs was able to hide the girls at my doorstep."

"Oops, sorry."

"It's alright." He held Lala's hand, "Ready to meet them?"

"Yes! Bye Knoll Highlander!" They started floating up, "Can, I still keep that name?"

"Yeah! It's Yours! Lala Higlander. I like it!" I shout back.

"It looks like she likes that name; its way better than Guil."

"So why didn't you give the girls your last name!?" I shout back.

"A story for another time friend. Goodbye and good luck!"

And just like that they left with all of the beautiful colors, fading into the light. Streaky woke up and rubbed his head.

"You missed the happy ending buddy… Don't worry I'll tell you all about it." We walked back to the center of town. Everyone was back and they all seemed relieved when they found me.

"Knoll, there you are!" Lucile shouted. They all crowded me and I received some odd questions blasted at me.

"Where were you?"

"You ok?"

"You caused quite the trouble young man."

"Whoa whoa time out!" I shout everyone gets quiet.

"What do you guys mean: where did I go? I got separated from you guys in the fog!" I tell them.

"Exactly, when the fog died down, we all searched for you and Streaky."

Wait a sec… "Vaike, I was with you last, didn't you see where I went?"

"Well… Teach… uh doesn't remember…" Everyone around us sighed in disappointment and/or facepalmed.

Odd. "Hey during the fog did you guys get any weird feelings?"

"You got it to?" Lissa said, "I felt like I was being watched the whole time to fog was up."

"Chrom, Lucile did you two get any weird feelings during the fog?" I ask them both seeing if they remember any event that just happened.

"Well, I had an odd sensation of being a mother? I don't get it too, but it felt like I was also wearing a pretty gown." Lucile said as she rubbed her head.

"You had that feeling too? I also believed I was a parent in my old formal wear… oh those clothes used to annoy me." Chrom said.

"Thankfully, besides weird feelings, everyone has come out unharmed. The rumors of this place being haunted are nothing but silly rumors. We have wasted enough time now and we have to continue marching." Frederick summarized.

We all continued the march to Regna Ferox, but before that I needed to talk to Vaike.

"Hey Vaike?"

"Yeah newbie? What do you need form the Teach?"

"I would like to say I'm sorry."

"Huh? Why?"

"I was so scared in the fog, I ditched you. Maybe if I didn't do that you would have everyone look down on you just now." That and sorry for almost giving you up to a spirit.

"You know, it's odd, Teach would immediately take that as an insult, but for some reason it feels like you did the right thing. Knoll, The Teach has a new respect for you." Hey, he didn't call me a kid anymore.

"Come on now, last one to Regena Fox is a rotten egg!" He sprints off ahead of the group… forgetting he was supposed to ready his coat for the winter march.

"Its Regna Ferox… Teach."

* * *

**End of chapter 4! **

**Woot, I poured out my heart on this chapter.**

**Allow me to explain the naming I choose for the characters.**

**Queen Martis= Named after Mater Matis, *a googled translation* of "Mother" in Latin.**

**Exalt Contemno=** **After Contemno, ** of "hate" in Latin.**

**Fortuna= ** of "fortune" in Latin.**

**Lalamir, Nanalie, and Javon= all made up.**

**Sorry for the Lack of shepherds in this, but this was character development! (?) Don't worry there will be more chapters where they get screen time and more bonding with my characters. Plus with this mini arc done there are going to be more sub arcs in some chapters as well so expect unexpected stories, well except aliens because that is just stupid.**

**I would like to give a huge shout out to: BlazingTank**

**Who gave me pointers on how to do better in my story. Thanks dude, though I might not have been able to fix things immediately, I now know what to work on. Thanks a lot you're the best!**

**And with that Thank you and please review.**

* * *

...

"You did well Initiator. Perhaps, there is hope for this world after all… Be strong child, the heart ache you felt was but a mere taste of what is to come."


	5. Update 5

UPDATE #5

RECALIBRATING TEMPORAL FILES.

REESTABLISH EN ROUTE.

CUTTING OFF UN IMPORTANT FILES.

INITIATING SUB PROTOCOL DETECTION.

NO MAJOR TEMPORAL ERRORS FOUND.

CONTINUING…

MODE: OVERVIEW.

* * *

_I'm dreaming of a white… Christmas. Just like the one I used to know~_

Achoo!

Uh… must… keep… singing… must…distract self… from cold…

Ugh, ok that's a little better. I'll try to reorganize my thoughts: After saving everyone from a traumatized spirit (Like a mysterious hero who saved people who didn't know they were in trouble.), we have been walking a good hour from there, and I can only expect this to go on for a day, or at least that's what they said.

Now I'm hiking over three inch thick snow, and barely walking properly. Streaky seems to be fine. His thick fur is helping him withstand the cold. Hey, that seems natural… Was Streaky from Regna Ferox?

I turn my view in a different view and something in the distance catches my eye: A big wall? I turn to Teach, who insisted he didn't need a cloak from the donations…

"Teach, you ok?" I figured that maybe calling him Teach would be a nice way to get closer to him. After the event with Lala, I think it's time that I stop being so anti-social, and start being friendly and more open to others.

"Te-teac-Teach is f-fin-fine Kn-Knoll." OK, that's it; I can't stand to see you like this. I take out the spare cloak he didn't take and tossed it to him, "Wear it now."

"Thanks…" He wrapped himself in the cloak while I walked up ahead to meet with Frederick. When I got to him I saw Lissa staying nearby, so I guess she wanted to feel warmer. I went on the other side of Frederick where the wind was blowing. Now feeling colder than I was a few seconds ago, I shivered and tightened my cloak around me.

"Frederick, I thought you said we were a day behind?"

"I am just as surprised as you, Knoll. The maps dictated we would get to the Long Fort in a two days march, but I didn't expect our detour to be a short cut." Frederick said.

"Brr! F–F-Frebberick! I'm f-f-freebing!" Lissa complained as she shivered under the cold.

"Stand beside my horse, milady. She'll shelter you from the wind." He replied with a laugh.

I saw Chrom turn back at all of us and gave us a warning, "Alright, We arrived here earlier than anticipated which is fantastic, but remember everyone: your actions here reflect back upon Ylisse."

Aww, I wanted to make a snowman.

… Screw it, I'll make one anyway.

We then continued onto the main gate of the Long Fort. Once we were there, the guards of the tower were mobilizing and seemed to be prepared to evict us.

Lucile commanded us to get in a defensive position, so she made us crowd together to better face flanks from all sides. She was also redistributing weapons to us; I received a bronze lance. So is this a version of the prep menu?

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

Greetings, I am Archer, emissary of the Gorgonites.

…I'm sorry, but since I almost die on a daily basis, let me have cheesy and random movie quotes that don't fit with the mood. Don't judge me dang it… Great, I'm thinking as if there is someone out there reading my thoughts, silly me.

Ugh, the battle. Stupid ADHD…

The spears are thrown at Chrom, but Sumia sweeps him off his feet in a flash. Whoa, she really must be good with Pegasi if she can move so quickly to save Chrom.(Wait she can dodge several lances in a cut scene, yet in the game she can't avoid a hit from a slow knight?) They stay in the air for a while floating toward the enemy fort, until she sharply turns back and both land near by us.

I then heard the soldiers mobilizing against us. I pull out my bronze lance and get ready to meet with them. I resigned to wanting to practice using my other weapons. Though, I still couldn't get my hands on a tome.

"Alright everyone we are attacking the left side! I won't let them swarm us with two flanks; Calvary! Group up with the fighters and charge in! Long range combatants and healers are behind. Sumia! Take to the skies and watch the movement of the other flank for me report to me when they move, and avoid archers. Let's go people!"

I hitched a ride with Stahl as we charged to the group. We then engaged with the left flank group while their numbers were still down. Streaky followed us. When we made our move, some of the knights from the top were still throwing javelins at us. Lucile and the support were taking them down while trailing behind us. Still, there were quite a few of them.

Stahl and his horse were swerving left and right to avoid javelins from the top of the fort. I was getting a bit horse sick. "Are we out of range of those guys yet? I don't think I can take all this sudden movement…"

"Well sorry about that, looks like you're going to have to keep it in." Stahl simply replied.

Compared to the risen fights, the ones with normal humans seem to be much better since they stuck more with the story… Streaky? What was that in the forest? Wait a sec- "Stahl! Stop!" I grab the reins from him and force a halt on us. By doing this, an arrow barely missed Stahl right in front of his face.

"What the?! Uh, thanks Knoll."

"I saw Streaky look towards the forest. When I looked over, I saw a glimmer; I assumed it was an arrowhead. Glad I was right." I noticed the arrow we dodged dug deep into the fort wall.

"Hiya!" Stahl made his horse move faster suddenly.

"Whoa?! I wasn't ready!" I almost fell off.

"Whoever are in the trees are shooting at us!" He said as he used his side shield to block one arrow.

I looked over to what was in front of us, the other cavalry and fighters were already engaging with the left flank, but without support… Crap, aren't they still behind us, but what about the archers in the woods?

"Stahl! We have to go back! The others don't know about the hidden archers!" Before Stahl could respond, an arrow was shot from the forest and landed in front of the horse, so it caused the horse to stand up in scare and drop me off. "Oof!"

"Charge Men!"

I quickly got up to see a small group of fighters come out of the forest. They were being led by a sniper. However, this sniper didn't have his helmet on. He had short spiky white hair, he had gray eyes, and he had a tan like the Khans.

He then charged at me shooting arrows while I was still on the ground. The first few arrows I was able to barley dodge by rolling in the snow. (That was cold!) When I got up, he shot an arrow right towards my face, but this time, instead of dodging, I used my spear to block it by putting the spear body in front of me. It worked, to an extent, the arrow dug into the lower handle of my spear; I took it out quickly and stood up.

I saw he was reloading; I took this moment to sprint towards him, and attack him with my lance. He easily dodged me, but instead of backing up, he used his bow to hit me in the face! Oof! What the?! So people here can fight with a bow like that. I wipe off my blood from my face, and take a look at the Green Arrow/Hawkeye wannabe. He then smirks, charges at me, and then proceeds to whack the crap out of me with his bow.

OOF! POW! WHAM! BAMBI! BAF!

To add insult to injury, he kicked me in the stomach and I tumbled backwards to the Shepherds. Wait what?

"Urk… guys…what are you doing behind me?" I got helped up to my feet by Vaike and Virion.

"We didn't get behind you. We got pushed back by the ambush reinforcements, who have now surrounded us." Chrom said as he took a defensive position.

"Um… Lucile?" Lissa said from inside our circle of defense.

"… I got it! Distract them as long as you can! Miriel and Sumia! Meet with me in the center of the position." She grabbed Miriel and dragged her towards the center of the position while Sumia rode in. What the heck is she planning?

"Any last words brigands?" The Sniper readied his bow at my face as his allies slowly moved towards all of us.

Last words? Distractions? ...

=Flashback=

…"The initial surprise might be enough to leave a huge opening, against lesser disciplined warriors."

… "Since I had super strength when I wasn't fighting, that rock sure did reach quite the blurry speed…"

=End of flashback=

Ding! Ding!

"Yeah, I got some words to say…" I point my lance toward the sniper, "But they aren't my last." I then toss my lance up high in the air. Everyone looked at how high the lance flew up. When they looked back down, they all saw me about to punch the sniper's face.

CRUNCH!

His body flew back into the others, leaving an opening for all of us. I then looked up, stretched out my hand, and caught my lance. Taking a stance, I charged at the rest of remaining soldiers, but shouting something stupid in the spur of the moment.

"LEEROY JENKINS!"

…I _deserve_ to die a slow and painful death for that.

"Shepherds Charge!" Chrom shouted as they followed with my lead. The initial surprise of what happened, caught the enemies off guard, and with their sub commander down in the frontlines, they all fell apart easily.

"Knights and archers! Fire at will!" The woman commander shouted over the fort walls. From a few knights throwing spears, the fort top was now filled with archers and knights all ready to make us a bunch of pin cushions.

"Sumia throw it!" Lucile commanded as Sumia threw some thing that looked familiar at the ranged group. It was a glass tube that had a purple potion inside it. Wait a sec…

The potion landed on the fort and out spread a blue smoke. Everyone could hear the people coughing under the cloud.

"NOW! Get to the door!" Lucile said as she ran ahead of everyone.

I caught up with her and asked, "Wasn't that the potion Miriel had?"

"I'll explain later." We got up the stairs and checked the doors, "It's locked. Did anyone find a key?" Lucile asked.

Everyone was looking around themselves. Great no one has it, and I know the sniper dude wasn't holding one. Smart of them to lock the doors, and not give the enemy any way to enter. To think, I was wondering why they left the keys outside, instead of having some secret knock or code for opening it.

"I'll search the bodies maybe there is a key we missed." Frderick volunteered.

"The potion's smokescreen will wear off soon, you might get caught out there alone." Lucile argued.

I take a look at the door; the hinges where on the outside, and they looked like the normal door hinges in my time. Odd, but it works in my favor. I remove the bottom caps, take out hinge clip, repeat on all hinges, and kick door down.

BANG!

"Knock knock." Stupid! Don't try to sound cool!

"Way to go Knoll! Shepherds Charge!" Chrom commanded as we all flooded in the upper fort.

The rest of the fight was easy; when the pink smoke cleared, every one of them were still coughing and sneezing by the irritable smoke and were so easy to take out. We then cornered their commander, and which Vaike, with a new hammer, beat her.

"Then your claims were… true…"

* * *

"A thousand apologizes, Prince Chrom. I truly took you for brigand imposters." The woman commander, who introduced herself as Raimi a while back, apologized. She then said she would bring us straight to the capital.

Woot, snowman tim- Hey it's the sniper…

"Prince Chrom, I too would like to personally offer my apologies for me and my men."

"The misunderstanding is behind us. What is your name soldier?" Chrom asked.

"I am Sagit, Captain of the Long Fort's Border Patrol. We usually watch the towns on each side of the border. Funny story really, we were about to leave for our routine patrol until we heard the alarms sound in the main gate."

What? Is that some kind of slap in the face, for me being glad we arrived earlier?!

"Please, allow me to also apologize by helping Commander Raimi with your escort."

"Thank you for your offer." Chrom said. Sagit then left off to the direction of where Raimi left early on.

"Amazing! Their whole demeanors changed." Lucile noted after both of them left.

"In Ferox, strength speaks louder than words. I should have known better than to overestimate the value of diplomacy here…" Frederick explained.

"Hey Lucile? About that potion you had Sumia threw… wasn't that Miriel's combustion salt?" I ask wondering how it got here.

"Oh! So that's what it was… it smelled really weird." Lissa commented.

"Well yeah… When we were all cornered, I assumed we could easily break through the enemy's surround, but they had their long range support right on top of us. I was wondering on how to somehow blind them, so we can easily make our move without casualties. Then I remembered how Sumia and I were coughing and feeling so irritated in our senses when Knoll accidently messed up Miriel's potion. I also remembered how Miriel was left behind in the first leg of the journey because she was trying to prepare making it again after Knoll broke her first one." After she said this, everyone looked at me with looks of disapproval.

She continued on, "Remembering this, I asked her if she still had it with her when I asked you all to distract them. She was a bit annoyed she would have to start all over again, but she gave it up, and the rest is history. Oh right, Knoll, you now owe her some of your pay."

"… We get paid? Why didn't I know about this?" I look to Chrom and Frederick, who both simply pull their collars, and whistle while facing another direction.

Oh those cheap, gold hogging, slave driving Da-

"So can we get going, Chrom?" Lissa… I will now plot my revenge upon you and your family. It shall come when you least expect it, and when I get over being mad at you.

"Err- Yes, it's not getting any warmer." Then they all start moving away from me and Streaky.

…

I'm still making a snowman.

* * *

Here we are at the West Khan's Capital: Nagon Rue. It's nice that I'm learning new places besides what I learned in game. Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Lucile went to meet with the Khan while I am hanging out with Virion, Streaky, and Stahl in town.

When we first entered here, I spotted an Anna selling a top hat and a monocle. I'm freaking getting that! Though, I hope the little money I have left over, from Miriel taking most of my share from my first pay, will have me buy it.

"Knoll, why do you want to buy such a weird hat?" Stahl asked while we walked back towards the shop I mentioned.

"Because it is perfect for the snowman I am going to make." I never really experience snow since I came here. I lived in Southern California; no snow there. As a kid, I always wanted to make a snowman, and since I'm now in a world where I can _freaking die _at any given moment, I'm living that dream! I WILL LIVE THAT DREAM!

"Good sir, what is a snowman?" Viron asked me.

"You really don't know? Odd, I was sure you heard of it. Ah well, I'll show you what it is a soon as I get what I need." I found out the shop where I saw the items. It was actually a tent like the ones in the games.

"Hello?" I entered in with the others.

"Welcome! How may I help you?" Anna greeted with a smile.

"Ah My lady! Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Why does that sound so familiar?

"Uh excuse me?" Anna asked.

"Virion can that wait?" Stahl tells him. I ignore what just happened, and ask what I came here for.

"By any chance do you have a top hat here? The tall, black hat with a white stripe?"

"Oh that… Here is the price for it." She shows me the pric- those are a lot of zeros.

"Why is it so expensive?!"

"Oh because it's magic! This hat here is said to give inanimate objects to life." Anna replied.

What? No… it can't be…

"Oh I'm just kidding! You see it is so expensive because of how finely stitched and made this is." She looks to Virion, "Here, you look like a noble; you should be able to recognize the fabric."

I mentally face palm as Virion inspects the hat. "My word, this is a finely smooth silk, yet it sturdy enough to keep this shape, and the posture of the hat has an intricate design inside the hat… this was crafted by a great tailor." He handed it back to her.

"Well I know I don't have enough money for it, so never mind." I am so disappointed.

"Wait, this is expensive, but a think I have a dummy copy, for this here. Ah here it is!"

She took out a duplicate of the hat that looked exactly the same as the original. This one had a funny looking ribbon attached to it.

"It looks exactly the same." Stahl noted.

"It does, but it's not. I actually found this wax copy on the ground on my way here." Anna said

"It's made out of wax?" I look at the price, it's cheaper but it is worth the rest of the money I was given. Bah, I'm buying it. "I'll take it."

"Thank you. Come again."

We wave good bye and leave the store.

"So why do you need that hat for this snowman?" Stahl asks on our way back.

"It's a decoration; don't worry, you'll see it soon." I wear the hat on my head. "While we are still here why don't we pick up anything for you guys- Oof!" I bumped into an overdressed and tall man who had his face covered in scarves.

"…" He looks down at all four of us.

"Uh, sorry about that." I get up on my feet and apologize, so incase he doesn't decide to beat us up.

He just starts walking away.

"How rude of him! He doesn't even accept your apology!" Virion said.

"It's fine Virion, I don't really mind." I dust off the hat, yet I notice a note inside the hat that wasn't there before.

_Be careful Restorer, the hunt begins._

What?

"Knoll, are you alright?" Stahl asks, "You seem pale."

"I-I'm fine, just getting a bit cold. I'm gonna go ahead on back to the barracks. See you both later." I run ahead and Streaky follows me.

What the? Hunt? Oh Just dandy! Sure, make me more confused than a lab mouse in maze! Ugh, if I ever meet with Chronos again, I am demanding more answers even if I get vaporized.

* * *

Back nearby the barracks, I found myself finishing up the snowman. I took a few steps back to look at my work with Streaky who just was eating my lunch. (I did promise him my meat for a week.) I felt so ecstatic that I finally made a snow man.

"Oh so that's a Snowman! That's quite clever." Stahl said, as he came back with Virion.

"Yep, I always dreamed of making one. Did you guys buy anything else at town?" I walk over towards them.

"Well Virion kept flirting with every beautiful woman vendor we came across." Stahl looked to his companion.

"The harsher the weather, the more beautiful the flower that braves it." Virion said as he posed in some opera manner.

"Aww, this is so cute!"

"I think it's pretty creative."

I turn my head back, "Oh, Sully! Sumia! Hey! Where did you two come from?"

"Well I just came from running a few laps around town, and on my way back, I saw Sumia carrying some books and decided to help the poor girl." Sully said.

"I was just tripping all over the way. It was so embarrassing." Sumia said as she wiped of snow from her hair. "When we came up here, we saw this little guy." Both ladies then came up to us.

"This dummy seems so poorly made, oh well… Hiya!"

Who was that? … "MY SNOW MAN?! NOOOOOO!"

"What's a snow man?" Vaike cut my Snowman in half from the top… I can make another one, but he freaking cut the hat I paid all my remaining money for!

"Vaike, what the heck did ya do that for?" Sully scolded him.

"Hey I went out here to train and I saw this odd looking dummy." He hung his axe over his shoulder.

"Hahaha… Hey Teach? Wanna play a game?"

"Huh? Aren't you a little old to play games, Knoll? Hey… what are you doing with that- Grrk!"

THAT WAS FOR FROSTY, YOU JERK!

* * *

0101010000110 ERROR.

MALFUNCTION IN OVERVEIW MODE.

SWITCHING OFF.

* * *

"Oww! Oh you want to play like that? Teach can also fight with snow!" Vaike formed a snowball and threw it towards Knoll, but its aim was off and it hit Sully.

"… GRR! Vaike!" She then formed a snowball and started throwing at Vaike, but he started running around, and some of the stray snowballs hit Virion and Stahl. The way they were hit caused both Sumia and Knoll to laugh because they made a funny noise when they were hit. Both of Virion and Stahl got up and threw a snowball at Knoll, but Knoll was then hit by a snowball from Vaike, so the dual snowballs hit Sumia and she fell down again. Now with everyone now entangled in a team snow match. It became clear this white and snowy free for all was a hard fought battle. Shepherd versus Shepherd, friend versus friend, and Vaike versus everyone else.

What stopped the brutal fight was Knoll throwing a snowball to Vaike, who ducked and the snowball hit Chrom… in the face. Frederick, Lucile, Lissa, and Chrom came back from their meeting with the Khan.

The moment this happened, everyone stopped and awkwardly stared at Knoll. At first he was motionless, but suddenly he burst out into laughter.

"White is a good color on you, captain!" Knoll teased.

"Oh really? Let us see how it suits you!" Chrom smiled wide and started throwing snowballs at Knoll who easily dodged them.

"Milord! Don't engage in such potential dan-" Frederick was interrupted by a snowball from Knoll that hit him in the side of his head. He wiped of the snow from his head and glared at Knoll, "My my, someone has a death wish…"

"Meh." Since Knoll had many near death experiences, even the infamous glare from Frederick the wary couldn't faze the psychotic Restorer.

"This looks like fun!" Lissa cried as she made a snowball and threw it Lucile.

"Hey! Oh that's it! Here's how it's done!" Even the usually composed Lucile was joining in.

Once again the fight continued, now with the late four joining in, an afternoon of snow pelting, laughs, and smiles. While this was happening Streaky was still eating Knoll's lunch enjoying the show in front of him.

* * *

Later that evening, Knoll and the others were in a War council to explain their current situation.

"So here is how things are: Right now, we can't get the reinforcements we need." Lucile explained.

"You said _right now._" Miriel noted.

"Exactly, we met with the east Khan, Flavia, and she told us she had no official power to mobilize the army unless we represent her in an up and coming tournament in three days." Lucile was continuing.

"A tournament?" Sully asked.

"There are two Khans west and east. Flavia is the east Khan and she doesn't hold much political power. This is because they have an annual tournament that determines who gets to be in power. They can't send in their own kin or warriors in this tournament to prevent a blood feud or civil war between both sides, so they asked us _strangers_ to represent them. In order for Ylisse to have the Ferox's support we have to fight in this tournament and win." Chrom explained; He then motioned to Lucile.

"Now for the rules of this tournament: The chosen champion of each Khan, are allowed five other supports to join them in the arena, so in other words a total of six, including Chrom, will be entering the tournament. The people I have chosen to join Chrom in the arena are as followed: Vaike, (Yeah! O'l Teach's got this!) Sully, (Those dastards will feel my boot!) Sumia, (I-I won't let you down!) Frederick, and I. We're are planning to spend two of those days in training, especially for those six in the tournament, so Sully you're in charge of the training regime for the next two days. The third day will be used to get from here to the tournament area." Lucile explained the plan for the next three days.

"Alright, I'm going to shape you fools up! Prepare to feel your lungs burn like never before!" Sully said as she stretched out her arms.

"Oh, joy" Knoll thought.

"Well that's all for tonight, Dismissed." Chrom announced and everyone left.

Knoll was walking out with Streaky and Stahl until he was called by Chrom.

"Knoll? Can I talk to you alone?"

"Yes sir. Hey Stahl, could you bring Streaky with you to my room? The poor guy looks really tired."

"Sure, no problem." Stahl picks up Streaky and carries him off. When he leaves, Knoll and Chrom start their conversation.

"So what do you need captain?" Knoll asks.

"I'd like to thank you." Chrom said.

"For what?"

"None of the Shepherds and I had fun like that in a long time. Ever since Plegia started more on harassing our country, all of us have been working hard to protect it. It wasn't until today we had fun like that."

Knoll laughs, "Of course you were having fun; I incurred the wrath of Frederick! I'm going to feel sore for the next week."

"Hahaha! At least you didn't accidently run into Kellam. I didn't see him at all when I ran into him!"

"Hehe I too didn't know he was there, though that does explain where some of those snow balls seemed to come out of nowhere."

"Haha yeah… " Chrom suddenly got quiet, "Hey Knoll? Do you remember when I asked you about your song back at Ylisstol?"

"Yes? What about it?"

"I had an odd wish that you heard that song from… my mother."

"Your mother? You mean Queen Matris?"

"Oh you have heard of her?"

"Urr… yea from a friend I met before joining with you."

"Well, She passed away a little after Lissa was born. I barely remember her, but she used to sing me to sleep with a lullaby that neither Emm or I could remember. It bothered Emm more because she felt ashamed for forgetting something so precious from our mother. I was hoping maybe you could play a song for her and maybe help her feel better about herself, and who knows: She might remember the song if you play another one." Chrom asked.

"Uhh… Sure I would love to play for the Exalt." Knoll was troubled. He knew if he wanted the song to mean something to her, he would have to play it before she dies. This thought made Knoll feel sorrier for Emmeryn because he realized she had suffered more than what the game suggested.

"Thanks I appreciate it." Chrom left the room leaving Knoll to reflect on his thoughts.

After Knoll went back to bed, he closed his eyes and prepared himself to see if Chronos would finally reappear with him or if someone else will invade his dreams, and confuse him even more.

* * *

Knoll found himself somewhere new: instead of the Dragon's Table, he was inside Mount Prism. He liked the change of scenery from the previous meetings, but he groaned when he found someone new talking to him, for a second. He then realized it was Naga who was going to guide him in this dream session.

"Oh hello Lady Naga, it's a pleasure to meet youUUU!" Knoll was restrained by wrappings of light around him. "What the?!"

"Who are you boy? You don't belong in this world…" Naga spoke to Knoll in almost a strict manner.

"What?! What are you talking about?! I'm the Restorer! I was sent here to fix and save the timeline here." He was struggling to get the wrappings off him, and he wondered why she was doing this.

Naga closed into Knoll's face with a scary glare and told him something odd.

"That is impossible because there is nothing wrong with the timeline."

* * *

**DUT DA DUUUN! And I'm done with chapter 5! Yeah Boy!**

**As you can plainly see, I put in several Christmas references because of the intense cold of Regna Ferox. I also made up names for the capital of the east khan and I plan to try and name other places not mentioned as close as possible to what they could be. Though, might be kinda hard and they may not be good.**

**I'm going to try to tone done the dialogue because I think it's a little much. I'm also working on slowing the story down a little because it might be moving too quickly at times. I'm even going to try to lessen the first person point of view, but I'll see how it works.**

**There are other things I would like to note, but I feel as they are too much my own opinion. If you want something to change, please review below.**

**Thank you for your time and please review.**

**(Oh for those few people reading this and my first story: "A Legend's Secret" Uh… I have a writer's block on it, so it may come a little late than I plan, but rest assured, I won't abandon it.)**


	6. Update 6

UPDATE # 6

RECONFIGURING DREAMSCAPE…

ACCESSING FIREWALLS…

WARNING: SEVERAL BUGS DETECTED.

ESTABLISHING NEW PATCH WORK…

SYSTEM RESTORATION IS UNDER COMPRESSION BY ANOTHER USER.

MODE: OVERVEIW =BUGGED- ALTERNATING SUB PHASE INTIATED.

OVERVIEW ENABLED.

* * *

"That is impossible because there is nothing wrong with the timeline." Naga told me.

What?! What the heck does she mean by that?!

"I maybe a divine dragon, but I understand the flow of time. If such a forceful change occurred in the Timestream, I would have noticed. However, the only changes I have sensed disturbances from was you." Naga was moving around me and examining me as she said this.

"But Chronos told me that I was sent here to fix this place!"That was all I could say because the constricts were crushing me.

"Who is this Chronos?" She glared at me again. Never underestimate a divine being's ability to glare and intimidate you.

"He-he- Whoa!" The constricts suddenly released me, and a Blue orb appeared between both Naga and I. The orb suddenly expanded and a bright blue light blinded and engulfed me.

When I assumed the lightshow was over, I slowly opened my eyes, and I found myself back at the Dragon's Table, a place I thought I wouldn't feel happy to be back.

"Knoll, are you alright?"

I turned my head and saw Chronos. At last, I'm getting those answers!

"Finally! Chronos! I want answers, you overgrown wormed jerk!"

He glared at me, but I glared back. I had enough for today. He lessened his glare and told me, "… I understand your anger, but now all I can do is apologize. Knoll, I assumed early on that somehow, The Interferer was forcing my hand by ruining the timeline. I was wrong."

"Please stop talking around it and get to the point."

"Knoll, in order to understand, you need to know these details. Do you remember when I said I barely detected major errors in the time stream?" I nod, and he continues on, "It was just me; the beings of this world, like Naga or even Grima, did not sense this change. They are assuming that you and I are here to disrupt the timeline." Chronos tells me.

"How did something like that happen!?"

"Knoll, I have been played as a fool. You obviously know that I am not from within this timeline, because of this: to enter other timelines, sometimes I have to ask for permission to enter other timelines. When I came to this time line, I met with someone who I assumed was Naga. I was asking this person to allow me to investigate the errors in the timeline. Only now do I realize: I have been hoodwinked. When I was talking to the imposter, she openly welcomed my presence. I didn't question that good fortune because my curiosity got the better of me. Usually, one would be suspicious of my presence. The energy that was used to alter the timeline was similar to a…" He looks at me for a moment, but he continues on, "Another elemental guardian like me. I came here to investigate if one of my old colleagues were involved here."

"So you let your guard down because you expected to find someone? That is a terrible excuse! We pretty much screwed this world over because of us being here then!"

"…If you lost a family member wouldn't you want to meet them again?" Chronos told me.

He lost his family? I tried to say something, but I could only open my mouth several times before closing my mouth in silence.

"Knoll, I messed up big time: I admit that, but I am not lying on this timeline being on the verge of collapse. If you don't correct this timeline, many lives will fall out of existence." He summons a blue, hexagon shaped, and small necklace. "Naga is now **hunting** after us. This necklace will prevent her or Grima from entering and killing your conscious within the Dream Sessions." I hold out my hand and it lands on my palm. It is the size of a dog tag.

Hunt? What? Hey wasn't I just warned that _the hunt begins_?

I guess I'll try to mention it later, better stay on topic, "Oh so that's what these meetings are called; I think I called it that once. So besides preventing a dragon from brain assaulting me, is there anything else this little trinket can do?" I poke at it before I put it on. Not one for bling, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

"It will keep me in better communication with you and- … Odd…" Chronos simply stares at me in a close manner.

"Uh… Chronos?"

"Sorry. Knoll, have you recently exhibited a surge of data in your brain?"

"Wha?"

Chronos rolls his eyes. "Have you recently found yourself on top a pile of bodies?"

I think about it for a while, remembering only the times when I got lucky or beat up, but then I remembered the bandits (?) in Lake of Crystal. Do those people from the Lala's game count? Were they real? Come to think of it: Javon's ghost recognized me even though I assumed that it was all an illusion by Lala.

"Well… kinda- yes."

"Knoll, from now on I'm going have to ask you to keep your emotions from going out of control especially under life threatening situations. That was my insurance in making sure you didn't die under normal circumstances. It turns your mind into a computer, making you able to make you analyze the most logical and practical use of each situation. In cases like this: it will use its power to calculate each high chance of survival."

This all sounds so complicated, first the benevolent Naga is hunting me down, and now I find out that I have a computer in my head! What next? Plegians discover dynamite and plan to use it under the tournament grounds?!

"So what does the computer in my head have to do with my emotions?" I ask him.

"It's not a computer .The fail safe system activates under the extreme emotion of anger." Chronos continues on. "Anger is one of the most destructive and powerful of mem- I mean human emotions. I feared that if you ever became too angry, you would explode and accidently divulge information that would threaten the timeline."

" … Well, I actually don't mind. Never liked being angry anyway." I tap my head to see if I could go into YouTube, but I suddenly remembered about the guy who warned me.

"Chronos, I met someone who warned me and predicted Naga hunting us down."

"What who?!"

"I don't know, but he was a very tall and bulky looking man."

"That can't be right…"

"Excuse me?"

"Knoll, think about it: besides us, Naga, and potentially Grima, who else knows about you?" I only scratch my head and shrug my shoulders.

Chronos taps my head with the tip of his tail several times before saying it, "The Interferer, Knoll."

Cue useless speculation that will only give me headaches until the big reveal in the last leg of this story.

"The being who caused all of this madness. Now why would this being warn you about his plans?" Chronos brought a good point. "It doesn't make sense does it? He is helping you, yet he ruined this timeline in the first place. What is he trying to do?"

Oh my poor head… That man was the Interferer? Come to think of it, the guy near the bridge seemed pretty tall too; was he the same man? This is all too much for me, and why am I the only one who deals with this crap?

Chronos sighs, "I have spent too much time in this session. I will be in contact at random occasions; I will be hiding from the entities of this world. Good luck Knoll. It looks like both of us are in over our heads."

* * *

~I wake up in the morning feeling like P- no wait. It's still night… or dawn, too groggy to care. I'm going back to slee- MY EARS!

=ALTERNATING OVERVEIW MODE: OFF=

Knoll clenched his ears, rolled of his bed, and landed on Streaky, who the latter in retaliation: started mauling on his friend. Streaky had to stop suddenly due to the sharp pain in its ears.

Apparently Sully had come up to Knoll's room to wake him up personally… with her nails and a chalk board "Youch, that looked painful, but that's nothing compared to what's prepared for you today! Knoll, get up and gimme twenty laps around the barracks!" Sully said.

"Oh gods why?!" Knoll could only say as he held his face in pain as he was previously mauled on by Streaky.

"MOVE IT SOLDIER! GO GO GO GO!" Sully yelled at Knoll to run out, which he did…

In his pajamas.

Under the cold dawn.

Wearing his shoes, and not the snow boots he was wearing when he first came here.

Also, if he didn't want to die of sub zero temperatures, he would have to keep moving to keep his body warm(?)

Needless to say, it was going to be a **very** bad (two) day(s) for Knoll.

* * *

"Th-th-thth-e Paiiiii-nnn" Knoll found himself shivering like crazy as he sat on the couch, and huddling with Virion, Vaike, and Stahl near the fire place in the main lobby.

"Tor-tort-ure…" Was all poor Virion could manage to say.

Now what happened was: Sully had made all of the men harsh the cold morning winter to increase their endurance and stamina at the same time. Vaike, Chrom, and Frederick were given ten extra laps; however, this brings the point on why Vaike is with the other three right now.

You see: Vaike was well… half naked. He was only keeping his pants on whenever he slept, and just like the rest of the guys: he was forced out of his room with not much to prepare. So it stood to reason that Vaike froze much easier than the rest of the guys, especially when he accidently fell into thin ice. This meant Knoll, Stahl, and Virion had to drag Vaike until their commute was done, and thaw the poor guy out.

"Wait… What did the girls do?" Stahl feeling a bit better, asked the others this question.

"*Wheeze* We all had to *Gasp* do fifty one handed pushups… with weights on our backs." The men turned to see Sumia, Lucile, Lissa, and even Miriel, exhausted and slumping on the dining table. Knoll noticed that all of the women had their hair down, and he noted that they all look better like that.

"Well, at least you guys got to be indoors *shiver* It felt like the ice age out there." Knoll said.

"What's ice age?" Sumia asked.

Knoll mentally face palmed as he realized the ice age didn't exist here, but suddenly everyone's attention was caught on bowls of hot soup and pancakes appearing on the dining table.

Everyone stared a few good seconds before a soft whisper was heard. "Eat up everyone."

The people then started shedding a few tears of joy and feasted on the comfort of the soup and pancakes. Knoll was a bit curious to how this came to be until he remembered someone who he still hasn't seen, but always tries to remember.

"Kellam? You here?" Knoll looked around.

"Yes, Knoll?"

"You made this all? Right? When did you get the time to make all of this?"

"What do you mean? I just woke up and prepared this meal since I saw no one here."

It occurred to Knoll that because of Kellam's specialty, Sully didn't wake him up and force him through a frozen marathon. He was jealous of Kellam and wanted to tell him something until the lobby door opened up showing Chrom and Frederick who had finally got back from their extra laps. They were both shivering cold, yet Frederick was still in a strict demeanor despite his obviously shivering frame.

"Hey Chrom, Frederick, you guys want some soup?" Lucile offered.

"That sounds amazing. I'll take that offer!" Chrom said. Both he and Frdereick sat down with us to enjoy the well deserved food. However, something was bothering Knoll.

"Hey girls, where is Sully?" Knoll asked.

"After doing her share of training she went to prepare something in that large vacant studio room that was near the kitchen." Lucile said.

"What she planning with that room?" Stahl asked.

"Sully said it was for "Whipping you slackers into shape." Or so she said. Apparently what we went through just now was a warm up." Sumia said.

"Ugh I'm still sore from Streaky mauling on my face this morning." Knoll rubs his recently healed face thanks to Lissa a little early before he left the barracks.

"Was that why you were injured in your face? I had assumed you evoked her wrath or something… well unlucky monsieur." Virion commented.

"What do you mean by that?"

Bang!

Everyone turned their heads from the dining table to see Sully, who simply grabbed her plate and stuffed her mouth with pancakes, swallowed it whole, drank some water, and say "Alright breakfast is over! Time for the real training!"

Everyone could only groan as Sully dragged them all into the next training session.

"Alright folks, here is the deal, from now on until dinner were all going to have a practice match with each other. A round robin match for the rest of the day.

"So we all have to face each other?" Lucile asked.

"Yep it's pretty simple: first person to fall two times out of three wins a point. The one with the most points get nothing, but the one with the least amount of points gets clean the stables." Sully smiled darkly.

"So… how will this work?"Chrom wondered.

"Well actually since it's just the melee fighters, Lissa, Miriel, and Virion are excused from this unless they want to join, but for the rest of us, we rotate partners after every pair has gone one round." Sully takes out eight pieces of straw. "Now by drawing of straws, the two people who get the same color face off against each other."

Everyone gathered around and picked a straw. For Knoll, he ended up with a black tipped one, so he searched for his sparring partner to be… Lucile.

Knoll sighed; he was not looking forward to see how well she fights with a blade.

On their practice mat, both participants bowed before beginning the duel. Always being the one who gets attacked, Knoll decided to make the first move and charged at Lucile with a vertical slash. However, she easily dodged it, smacked Knoll in the face with the flat side of the practice blade. She then started an odd conversation.

"Hey Knoll? Where is Streaky?" She asked as she tried to stab Knoll with a forward thrust. Knoll actually parried it and shoved it back pushing her off balance and surprising both of them.

"Hmm? I actually lost sight of him-" Knoll dodges a forward thrust. "This morning when-*dodges* Sully forced me out of my bed. *swings blade* Why do you ask?"

"I saw the *thrust* flag of the Khans. It was a symbol of two wolves. *jump slash* Nice dodge! Anyway, when I asked Flavia, the East Khan, *spin slash* about it she told me about the myth of east and west Wolves." Lucile dodged another vertical slash, but she round house kicked Knoll, knocking him off first. She went to him and offered her hand, which Knoll accepted.

"That is nice and all, but can we continue after practice? I think that it might be too much to listen to a story while fighting." He re took his position.

"Sure I'll tell you later after I've kicked your butt."

* * *

"Knoll? Hey Knoll? Anyone in there?" Lissa asked Knoll as they walked towards the Tournament grounds or as they call it the _Lupercalia Colosseum._

"Oh sorry Lissa, I was just thinking about a few things." Knoll told her.

"You've been in a daze ever since the first night of crash training."

"I- I had a lot in my mind to think…"

"A gold for your thoughts?"

"Sorry my thoughts are worth more than a piece of gold, but I do appreciate the concern. I am just a little tired from all the beating everyone gave me these past two days." Knoll rubbed his arm from still feeling sore after his entire body went through an almost cartoonish form of pain.

"It must suck to be the one to clean the stables twice." Lissa giggled.

"Actually it wasn't that bad. Don't know why you guys made it seem so bad."

"But it smelled absolutely terrible. Some of us were surprised you didn't run out because of the smell." Lissa said.

"Oh I guess I'm thankful of my terrible sense of smell then."

"Knoll, that actually sounds like a medical problem…"

"Hmm…" Knoll rubbed his chin.

"Alright Everyone! We will arrive in the Lupercalia Colosseum within an hour. It should be within sight soon." Chrom gave a heads up to the group.

"So why is it called Lupercalli?" Vaike said as he and Stahl came beside Knoll and Lissa.

"It's called Lupercalia, Lucile told me about it two days ago: Its one of the legends this tradition is based on. There were two orphans left to die in Regna Ferox, but they were raised by a great white wolf the people of legends refered to as Ashina Tuwu, The great Mother Wolf. When they grew up they became some of the most prosperous and most amazing leaders in their separate clans. Other clans from their region joined together with the orphans' clans under their wisdom and out of respect, forming the great tribe of the east and great tribe of the west. They both held the title: Great Wolf and they were the two orphans who later became the first Khans in the history of Regna Ferox. This tournament is based on one of their stories. When both tribes grew too big, the brothers held a tournament very similar to the one now. Here they weren't fighting for leadership, but for a major pool in resources. This also prevented a war between the tribes. The tournament itself is a tribute to this story and the begging of Regna Ferox's diplomacy." Knoll happily said.

"That sounds really cool: being raised by a wolf. Think Streaky is capable of doing something like that?" Stahl asked.

"Well I don't know." Knoll looks to Streaky, who is simply walking behind the four. "He is quite the enigma."

"Hey there it is!" Vaike pointed to a distance and everyone saw the colosseum.

Later inside, the selected six were shown into the tournament grounds by Flavia, the rest of them were shown to a special boxed row of seats by Raimi and Sagit.

"Knoll? Was it? I am surprised you are not in the tournament with them." Sagit said as he walked with them.

"Sorry I'm actually terrible at fighting. You're Sagit? Right?"

"Oh yes. But really? You pack quite a punch, literally. I expected you to be there among the six fighters." Sagit leads everyone into a reserved area. "Here we are. This section is reserved for you to enjoy the fight." Sagit showed them all into a row of ten seats.

"Thank goodness there are enough seats."

"Who said that?" Both Raimi and Sagit asked.

"Oh that's Kellam. He is here… somewhere…" Knoll explained. "So who is the opposing Champion again?"

"His name is Lon'qu, one of the best swords men here in Regna Ferox. He is the reason why Basillio, the west Khan, is undefeated." Raimi explained.

"…"

Knoll was very worried. He was pondering on how the story would work, if Lucina wasn't here. Before he could go any deeper he was disturbed by something. Rather, he was disturbed by a lack of something. "Uh guys? Where is Streaky?"

"You mean that wolf that follows you around? Some of my men were mauled by that creature." Sagit told Knoll.

"Yes that one."

Everyone in the room said that they didn't see Streaky anywhere, until a soft voice was heard.

"I saw Streaky a little while ago."

"What? Who said- Oh Kellam. Where did he go and why didn't you tell me?" Knoll asked.

"I did try to tell you! I tapped your shoulder seven times!" Kellam defended.

"… That was you? I thought my shoulder was in pain again from when Frederick threw me and made me land on that shoulder." Knoll rubbed his shoulder.

"Well, I saw Streaky go down some stairway on our way here."

"Alright just show me where and I'll get him."

"Wait, the bottom floor of the colosseum is off limits to spectators. There are supposed to be gates preventing anyone from wandering downstairs." Raimi said. "Show us where you saw the wolf go."

Kellam showed everyone where he saw Streaky go down. Raimi, Sagit, Kellam, Lissa, and Knoll where the only ones who left; Sagit told the others it would be unwise to have no one cheer for their teammates, so they all stayed back.

"So what is under the colossuem?" Lissa asked as they all started walking down the stairs.

"It is mostly used for storage of animals, weapons, and armor. Besides the Khan's tournament, this is also used in other events of training warriors and events on survival and fighting for gladiators. Though right now, all wild animals have been moved to another area because of the winter weather, so it makes no sense why someone would come here." Sagit explained. He grabbed a torch from the wall and lead ahead of the group.

After walking a while the group heard something.

"…ve…a…re.."

"Shh!" Sagit immedietly silenced everyone and they all followed his lead in sneaking around the corner.

Knoll and Sagit peeked their heads around the corner and gasped at what they saw.

"So what are these red candles again?" A grunt said as he carried a bunch near a stock pile.

There were a bunch of soldiers piling up those "red candles" in the middle of a storage room. Among all of them, a Sorcerer was laughing maniacally and pointing around to his minions.

"Hurry up the sooner we are done with this batch, the sooner we can leave these barbarians and Ylisse scum in the ruble!"

"Oi cap'n Yorn? How do these here candles supose to do all this?" One mercenary asked the Sorcerer.

"You fools! This is an experimental weapon! Forged from them magic powder of tomes, this here cylinder has more fire power than Valflame at its o peak! All we gotta do is light up the long wire and skedaddle, and watch this whole place blow up sky high!" The man named Yorn proclaimed like a pirate.

"But Capn? Why are these things called dynamite?" A merc grunt asked.

(WHAT?! REALLY UNIVERSE?! REALLY?!) Knoll was screaming in his head.

"Well our mysterious benefactor called it that… Is the last batch ready yet?!" Yorn cried out.

"Uh sorry sir! Lazay is missing! He has the last batch!" A soldier said.

"Then ye go find him then!" Yorn cried out.

Back with the group, Sagit and Knoll hid their heads again and spoke to the others. Raimi was the first to comment.

"An experimental weapon?! Here under the Colosseum? We have to stop them!" Raimi said.

"But none of us have our weapons, and by the sound, there is so many of them." Lissa noted.

"Wait… this may sound crazy, but I think this actually works in our advantage." Knoll whispered.

"Yes that is crazy." Sagit bluntly told him.

"Hear me out; they just said they have to leave here not to be affected by the, what they implied, explosion. So it stands to reason if they never find Lazay or his batch it might by us enough time to get reinforcements and weapons." Knoll explained.

"Good thinking Shepherd. I will go and get the reinforcements. Sagit, you and the Shepherds here have to distract them somehow." Raimi quickly left back upstairs. Oddly enough, just like Kellam, she was quite silent in running in heavy armor. Knoll wondered if all knights were light footed or something.

"Alright you two, any ideas?" Sagit asked.

"Hey I'm here too!" Kellam said, but he wasn't heard.

"OI! Who are you folk!?"

The group turned around to see a soldier and a mercenary pointing their weapons to them.

=a little while later=

"Ain't this a fine day gentlemen? I get to kill your precious Prince and respected Khans. I also get to kidnap the useless princess that hangs around the bloody royal family, maybe she'll do better as Garnel's slave or something. Boy, me can only imagine the price he would pay!" Yorn was taunting the two tied up men, whom could only glare at the dastard. Lissa was at the very back of the room tied up and gaged.

"You aren't going to get away with this, you dastard!" Sagit screamed at him.

"HAHAHA! In case you haven't notice I already have!" Yorn teased.

"Uh sir? We still haven't found Lazay."

"… They didn't need to know that, you imbecile!" Yorn screamed at the grunt.

Knoll was looking around for a bit until he spotted something. He blinked several times before asking, "Hey! Who is this 'Mysterious Benefactor' that gave you all of this?"

"Why should I tell you?" Yorn questioned.

"Uh, Please?"

…

…

"If my hands weren't tied right now, I would facepalm and smack you in the head." Sagit told Knoll darkly.

"Bah, whatever he gave me the creeps. He was a bit of theatric; he didn't talk much, but when he would he would talk like he was in a play; he was a really weird and creepy fellow. He never said his name, and the man never showed his face." Yorn told Knoll. "But did that guy know how to fight! He pissed of another mob in the black market and took them all down with just one hand! I have never seen someone fight like that!"

"Me thinks your lookin' for him, ain't cha kid? Well I hate to be one o' his enemies." Yorn shrugged.

"I'm not looking for him." Knoll replied.

"Ye say that, but I know the look in yer eye. Something is going on yer eyes I can see em; something big." Yorn put his face close to look Knoll in the eyes.

"I'm just a soldier." Knoll said. He was moving his shoulders around.

Sagit's eyes widen as he looked at Knoll, but he suddenly looked at Yorn and said, "!? So… why did he send you here? I don't see someone like smart enough to use it here and now." Sagit said in a mocking manner.

"Why you… Actually I won't deny that; after our benefactor gave us this weapon he mentioned that if we can do this job for him, he would give us his special weapon; something that makes magic of the gods look like nothing! Or that's what he told me, the way he said it made it more convincing." The Sorcerer had become engrossed in the conversation to notice something behind him.

If some have paid better attention, one would notice only Sagit and Knoll tied up near the dynamite. To poor Kellam's dismay he was completely ignored once more. However, this time he was partially glad; while Knoll and Sagit were distracting the leader, he knocked out both guards over Lissa and freed her. They then snuck out of sight.

"Now hold on thar why be you fools asking me all these questions?" Yorn turned around. "Blast the Princess be gone!"

"That's the least of your worries!"

Yorn and his men looked back to see Sagit and Knoll free. The latter of whom, had a knife in his hands.

"Hey." Knoll tossed the knife to a nearby mercenary. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

The merc immediately looked at his pocket to find an empty holder, the moment he did, Knoll punched him in the face making him fly.

"When did you get that?!" Yorn screamed as he readied his tome.

"I got it while he was tying us up I hid it under my sleeve. I couldn't risk escaping yet because I was too far from Lissa, but now that she's gone I don't have to worry about her. (Omg, I think I'm finally getting the hang of this thief business. It's all about distractions and timing… I think.)" Knoll said triumphantly.

"Ha! But ye be unarmed! How do you fools plan to beat us without weapons?!" Yorn was ready to blast them away, but the smirk on both Sagit and Knoll didn't fade.

"I seem to recall there being a huge pile of dynamite nearby us. Isn't that right? Unless you want to risk blowing all of us to the great beyond by magic blast or sparks of metal, the only way to kill us is by hand to hand combat." Sagit said smug manner, he then took a fighting position. "Hope you learned a fighting skill from that black marketer, or this will be too one sided."

"So what if we can't use weapons?! Its two on forty here! Get em boys!" Yorn commanded his men.

The grunts charged at both of them. Sagit was easily handling them all, and Knoll was dodging their attacks much easier since he was comparing the speed of his opponents to the speed of his friends. Despite going through a frozen hell and back, Knoll's training was really starting to show.

While he saw all of his men unable to touch either of the sluggers, Yorn hid behind his men and ran away from the fight. He left the area and went up straight towards the stairs, only to meet Raimi and some soldiers pointing their lance at his face.

"Oi… Glad I be to find ya! I've be lost in there for hours! Would ya be so kind as to tell me where the spectators seats are?" Yorn tried to lie his way out.

"How stupid do you think I am brigand? Especially since Princess Lissa here knows your face" Raimi held her spear closer to his neck while Lissa was in the side, sticking out her tongue and making a mocking face as Raimi told him.

"Ye found me twin?! Oh that joker, he is a fine man when ye get to know him." Yorn was sweating bullets, and still making lies that absolutely no one believed.

"Aaugh help! Help!" A man with torn up clothes and carrying odd red candles came up from the stairs. "Oh capn Yorn, thank the stars I found ya. That blasted mutt has been following me around and givin me trouble to no end." The man pointed to the stairs and out came Streaky holding tears of the man's clothes in his mouth.

"Lazay?" Yron quickly covered his mouth as he realized his pathetic mistake.

Streaky walked over to Lissa who gave him a good rub. "Good boy, Streaky!"

Raimi smiled then looked at Yorn. "Don't worry no one believed you the moment you opened your mouth."

* * *

"My sincerest apologizes my Khans, I had no idea how these Plegian dogs snuck in so far into our land. I accept all blame." Sagit was found on his knees to the two Khans.

"Sagit is not to blame, I too have failed in my duties." Raimi said.

"It's all well and good! No one important was harmed, and it's all behind us! Come, we celebrate tonight!" Flavia said in a very happy mood; she left out, leaving them with the west Khan.

"Yea, well just make sure you two prevent the new ruling Khan from embarrassing herself in this so called party." Basilio, the Khan, said.

Meanwhile with the Shepherds…

"You took on forty unarmed men?!" Stahl asked surprise.

"Looks like I have to thank you after all, Sully, I guess that abusive torture you called training actually paid off." Knoll said.

"Ha! I gave you a light training course compared to what I usually consider training." Sully said.

"I'm surprised with Streaky here. How was he able to know about those weapons and bandits?" Lucile asked as she was rubbing Streaky's head.

"I really don't know. He still is a huge mystery to me." Knoll said. "So uh… who is the guy giving me the cold stare?" He knew it was Lon'qu, but he had to play it safe.

"This is Lon'qu the former champion of the tournament. Basilio asked us to have him join us in the cause." Chrom said.

"Hey what's up?" Knoll greets him only to be ignored with a cold shoulder.

"Don't take it personally, Knoll, it's just a part of his character." Frederick said.

"Well, Today was obviously long for most of us. Let's all enjoy Flavia's party and get straight back to Ylisse." Chrom told them.

"Aye sir!"

* * *

**Le done.**

**Oh Maw Gawd. This chapter was longer than I expected it to be.**

**I think I'm really making wrecking this story by switching point of views, but ahh well. This is late compared to others, because I had finals.**

**So to the story: I made it in such a way that even the so called guide for this self- insert is as clueless as the person being guided within this story, being tricked by the force from beyond. However just because he is clueless, don't assume Chronos is powerless. **

**Oh and about that whole 40 v 2 thing: they were all grunts without their weapons and both Sagit and Knoll had more experience fighting without weapons, from hints in fighting close range with a bow with Sagit and Knoll's terrible luck with weapons. Now that I look back it maybe to much of a hype of Knoll's growth, but don't worry this was a one time thing. It maybe a long time before the main character kicks butt like this again. In the major "chapters" Knoll will be back to being fairly weak compared to the other characters.  
**

**Now as you'll probably see (or not) I am a huge fan of folk lore and mythology. The made up origin story for Regna Ferox is based on a Roman festival called Lupercalia festival. In Turkey, Ashina Tuwu is the name of the mother wolf that rescued an injured boy and bore him ten half wolf half humans. (Note: I Googled these so if I get something from these folklores/ culture wrong, I mean no disrespect.)**

**On an unrelated note: A fun fact I found in the Turkish wolf lore is that Ashina Tuwu also mothered the first great Khans. So the game itself has a lot of animal lore references that I originally thought. Another fun little fact: Morgan could be named after the Celtic goddess Morrighan who is sometimes portrayed as a wolf.**

**Going over what i posted in my previous notes, I really did try to cut the dialogue, but I think I actually ended up adding more dialogue into this. So much for a balance in this. I'll have to continue in finding a comfort zone in this writing and hope I can get a balance to everything soon.**

**That's all the notes I have for this. It feels as if I don't do something for to long it gets worse.**

****** Thank you for your time.** Please read and review.

* * *

"Alright we didn't agree to something like that. Why did you try to kill them all?"

"What do you mean by "agreement"? I haven't made direct contact with any of them."

"We both know that's a lie. You've made more than a "direct contact" with one of them; him no less. Wasn't it your idea to avoid Chronos?"

"That failed the moment Chronos noticed the change in this timeline too quickly and summoned a Restorer. We underestimated him."

"You underestimated him. There is a reason why he is one of the few Awakened."

"No matter. Despite how he may have been before, now, he is not even a speed bump in my plans." *Vanish*

"...Considering their situation and the area we are in now, that's an ironic title to call them... Awakened." *Vanish*


	7. Update 7

UPDATE # 7

PROGRESS: FAIR

WARNING: TEMPORAL STRUCTURE FAILING. SEVERAL ANOMALIES DETECTED.

UNKNOWN ENERGY SPIKE DETECTED.

SYSTEM RESTORATION'S STATUS HAS BEEN IMPAIRED WITHIN THE COSMIC BALANCER.

ANALYZING…

ANALYZING…

NOTE: ANALYZING WILL TAKE TIME.

CONTINUE SYSTEM? **YES.**

SYSTEM CONTINUING…

MODE: OVERVEIW SUB ALTERNATING.

CONTINUATION IN 3…2…1…

* * *

"You stand no chance. I'm a conqueror by name and conqueror by nature!"

"Yea yea, blah blah, I have a quick question?" Kind of stupid, but it's been bugging me since I got the game.

"Uh… fine. What is it?" The former twin, Vincent allowed me to speak. Though, he looked very annoyed.

"Knoll?! Whatcha doin?!" Donnel beside me asked. He was pointing his spear shakily at the dude, poor guy.

Yes, self. Somehow after the Universe stole my idea of trying to kill me with my own sarcasm, (I hate you for that, Universe!) we stumbled through Paralogues one through four in the course of two days. We recruited Donnel and saved villagers **again and again** within those blasted crammed in adventures. Now here I am in the fourth Paralouge where Donnel (Donny) and I were partnered up and sent to the northeastern side of this place, backing up Anna as she looted all of the treasure.

As I/me can see, the boss of this level is now staring at us with an annoyed look in his face, and possibly going to kill all three of us.

The purple twin was tapping his foot. "So what's this bloody question?" Vincent was getting impatient.

"You and… Victor-err, by any chance was he your… brother?"

"What kind of Hoggabaloo of a question is that? Of course he was- no more than that: he was a part of me!" Vincent struck a dramatic and sad pose before quickly pointing at Anna behind us, whom of which was still opening his treasure chests. "Taken by that Witch! Oh I miss you Victor darling…"

"Yeah, see! That's why I'm asking." Everyone, even Anna stopped staring at gold, looked at me with confused faces. "Well I was wondering, because of how ''Brotherly'' you both acted… what type of- oh gosh, sorry. *Inhales* What type of relationship did you have with your brother? "

They all suddenly stare at me as if I just showed them Chrom's poster in his C support with Frederick.

There was a very, very awkward silence, but then Vincent actually opens his mouth to say something!

"One for the bards!" Hey! He suddenly sounds like Virion's Critical- oh snap! Headshot! Vincent drops dead on the floor. We all look to see Virion and Vaike from the direction of the shot.

Virion then starts- well doing what he usually does, "No need for the thanks, my lady, all I ask is tha-"

"Thanks Virion." I say flatly. Virion wanted to say something, but apparently it's interrupt Virion hour.

"Knoll, Donny, Anna? You three alright?" Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds just finished clean up.

Anna comes out of almost nowhere, and grabs both Donny's shoulder and my shoulder. She whispers something sounding like a threat. "That conversation dies with him, OK?" We both nod. "Good." She then goes to Chrom and initiates the cut scene after the level.

Then, just like before, Kellam's voice comes out of nowhere. "Are you two alright?"

"Hunh?" Donny looks around.

"Oh, we are fine Kellam. Just a normal Tuesday in my life."

"But, Knoll?" Kellam said. "It's Friday."

* * *

"Were Finally Back! Is anyone still here?" I scream as I open up the doors to the garrison. It feels quite nice to back home. Ugh, thoughts of my real home are coming back up; I need to focus if I want to get back.

"Guys! Your back! Where is Captain?!" Ricken came out running towards us. Lucile and Frederick came out to meet with him.

Frederick got to him first. "Milord is with lady Lissa, talking with The Exalt. What happened Ricken? It looks like you've seen a ghost." (Knoll: *twitch*)

Ricken replied, "Plegians attacked Themis! They also kidnapped Maribelle! We have to save her!"

Frederick looked back to all of us, "Everyone! We are needed. It seems like our rest will have to wait a little longer. Gather your equipment and prepare for another march. Lucile and I will go to the Palace and pick up Milord and Milady."

Of course, no rest for the wary.

=Later=

I was walking down the hall with Lucile, Chrom, and Lissa(Streaky was here too), they were discussing how to deal with Gangrel, The Mad King, they also were making sure everyone was ready to march.

Chrom stops and turns to us. "Well then? Is everyone ready to go? It's a long march through the western mountains to the Plegian border."

"Captain! I'm all packed! When do we leave?!"

"Ricken? How did you… Go back inside. You're not old enough for this mission."

Seriously? He has to be like what? Probably the same age as Donny and probably only a few years younger than Lissa? Sure, that makes sense. Seriously, compared to the Miriel, I always preferred Ricken as a better mage.

Poor Ricken, he tries to protest. "You know my skill with magic! You know I can handle myself!"

Chrom inhaled. "… Fine, but you have to stay with long range support, and make sure to follow orders. I mean it: follow the orders like it's the only thing you know how too."

"Alright! I promise to stay with the group captain!"

What? … WHAT?! NO! Chrom You Fool! You weren't supposed to say yes!

Everyone starts to leave Streaky and I in the hall way. When they all get out of sight for a while, I decided to calmly assess my situation, and carefully plan my next move.

"QPOEWJRIOHKJNJBDHBUDBUHYBCHWIBUYBKJBNWIBDDIQOU!-" 

* * *

"Hey Knoll? Did ja hear?"

I was in a bit of a daze, couldn't concentrate well and the heat wasn't helping either, but I answered Teach. "Uh, what is it?"

Vaike nudged me in the shoulder and continued on. "Well do you remember how the garrison was rumored to be haunted before it was donated to us?"

"Umm… vaguely." I feel like dropping dead now.

"Well, the night before we left, there were some weird and scary sounds that seemed to echo throughout the garrison. It almost sounded inhuman. Not that Teach was scared or anything." I think Teach is referring to my ''tactical assessment'' to my problem last night. "I'm starting to see why it was donated to us."

"Oh, don't worry Teach. I'm sure it was nothing." I tell him, but in the back of my mind… (WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!)

Alright, I know panicking won't help, so I have to think. How to get Ricken to save Maribelle? Hmm… wait Chrom told Ricken that he had to follow orders, no matter what... But what if they were _my_ orders?

I might incur the wrath of Chrom and everyone else, but the lives of the important and timeline outweigh the life of-

Oh gosh… I'm risking my life again aren't I? One of these days my luck will turn around… I hope.

Well, first thing first, gotta find Ricken. "Hey, Teach? Have you seen Ricken around? I need to ask him something."

"What is it?" Vaike asks.

Crud… Ugh! Stupid heat- That's it! "I want to ask him about if he has a spare hat because his hat seems bigger than him. I figured, somehow, he has an extra?" What kind of backwater logic was that? It sounded way better in my head.

"Seems good enough for me. He is over with Miriel" Teach, thank you for being you.

I head over to the mages. I look over to Miriel and say, "Hey can I borrow Ricken for a sec? Thanksbye!" I grab Ricken out and drag to a more secluded area.

Ricken dusts himself a little before talking to me. "So, Knoll what do you need me for?"

"I've been thinking, the enemy has Maribelle captive, and chances are they are going to use her as a hostage. If that happens, and something tells me they will, we will be in an uncomfortable position. So you and I are going to sneak in to enemy territory and save her!" I feel like I have inspired myself with this idea, way to go me.

Ricken smiles wide. "That's great, but why did you choose me?"

Crap in a bucket, I didn't think of that.

"I mean, maybe you and Lon'qu would be better at this stealth mission than me." Ricken brings up a good point.

"Uhhh… Because… you…have a good potential! And… This is a test to see if you can truly handle being a Shepherd!" Smart save! Mean, but smart!

"Then I won't fail you, Knoll!" Ricken eyes light up.

I am so much trouble right now. "Well just get your tome ready and I'll call you before we meet with Gangrel."

"Alright, I'll zap them with my elthunder!" Ricken boasts.

What Elthunder? He had Elwind in the game! "Maybe you should use a wind tome instead. You might be able to push people of cliffs adding to the wind current already in the mountain."

Ricken agreed with what I was saying. "That makes sense!"

"Alright then I'll call you again when we this stealth mission starts. Oh and don't tell anyone, it's a secret mission. Go back with everyone." Ricken runs along and I sigh. I'm now expecting things to blow up in my face.

_+KNOLL?! IS THIS THING WORKING?!+_

Ugh! My head! I said "face" not "head"! What the- that sounded like Chronos.

_+Hmm… odd, apparently that sound volume is too much for your cerebral cortex.+_

Chronos?!

_+Yes, it's me. First, you have to keep up with the group. I'll fill you in as we walk along. Oh one thing, you'll need to think thoughts to communicate; it was hard enough to link up like this in such a way it doesn't peer into your subconscious or private and embarrassing memories. Humans and their so called privacy.+_

I hurry back to my post with Vaike. (OK, Chronos, what's the sitch?)

+_Hey? Aren't you- never mind. Hiding around in this world has proven to be very difficult, but I think I may have found a place where the Interferer might be.+_

(I think I found some info too. The Interferer might be disguised as Black marketer, selling weapons from other worlds!)

+_Good info, however, note and remember he is a shift shaper. He tricked me into thinking he was Naga. He may have only taken that form for now. Despite that, there are certain restraints in the cosmic balance that prevent things like guns or nukes from slipping into worlds like these without detection. So I wouldn't worry about that for now._

_Back to what my info is. I need to ask you this: is there a place here called the "Mila Tree"?+_

(That's the place where Tiki sleeps, the daughter of Naga.)

+_… You're kidding me, right? I' am not in the mood for your-_+

(Sorry Chronos, I am serious and honest. The Mila Tree here is the place of Naga's duagther.)

+_Great… Knoll, the reason I ask is because I believe that The Interferer maybe hiding under the tree. Try and see if you can go there now._+

(Sorry Chronos, if I go now, chances are I will die before I even get there; think you can wait two years?)

+ _Why two years? _+

(Don't you know anything about this world?! You said you have files on people in different timelines!)

+_True, however, this was also one of my fail safes; should I ever come to a place other than the plane of time, my knowledge of the future and past is left there to prevent anyone from prying into something that will damage the timeline. The info I had on you was prepared beforehand because I found out you were chosen before coming here._+

(Great! That means I know more about the story here than my so called "cosmic guide!")

+ Y_es, if I recall, this world is a video game in your world. You should know what happens in this world and why._+

(That would be the case, but there are several major mistakes. Not to mention the fact that there are some annoying side quests I get dragged into because the timeline is so messed up. Please note that those side quests are not part of the story.)

+ _Things are never easy. That is all I called you for; I just called in to make sure you're up to date on our mission, which is now "Get to the Mila Tree." I'll see if I can find any more information while hiding. One more thing Knoll, I sensed an odd energy spike, be prepared for anything. Good Luck!_+

And with that my mental link with Chronos ended. Though, it's still quite a while before we reach the next chapter/ meeting with Garnel. Ugh the heat is getting to me agai- shade? Oh right one of Phila's knights. I forgot a larger army is traveling with us because we're going to meet with Gangrel and they all really want to protect Emmeryn. By the way… where is Streaky? I haven't seen him in a while.

I look over to Vaike. "Hey Teach? Did you see Streaky around here?"

"Teach last saw Streaky go ahead, probably to Chromy or Lucile." He replied.

I thank him and try to catch up with the lead.

Emphasis on _try_.

Before I can go ahead, one Pegasus Knight descends nearby. And she looks really angry- Oh...Oh…

She then speaks to me. "Are you Knoll, one of the Shepherds?"

"Uh-Uh, Yes?" OK I was not expecting her to be really pretty, oddly enough all Pegasus Knights are hot babes in Fire Emblem.

"You are needed in the presence of Prince Chrom and Exalt Emmeryn. I' am here to bring you to them with Maximillion here." She sounded so emotionless.

Really? I could just walk ahead. "Oh its fine, I can just walk up ahead fast-"

She interrupts me in a scary and monotone voice. "Now."

Since you asked so nicely. I never rode a horse before, let alone a Pegasus. I get on behind her and try to reposition myself, only to accidently bump my head into hers while moving around. Ow.

Vaike stars pointing and holding in a laugh. "Pfft! Ha!" Teach, sleep with one eye open.

The lady simply says, "Don't make any weird movements." She then signals her Pegasus to flyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-

OH WOW! So this is what it's like! That is so cool! Everyone looks like ants down from-

"Please don't move around, or else you'll fall to your death." She obviously read how this was my first time flying. She then quickly steers her Pegasus to the front lines with Emmeryn and Chrom- Hey… Is that Streaky?

The Pegasus Lady lands us nearby, and Phila is the one to speak first. "Thank you Fortuna that will be all."

Fortuna? Why does that sound so familiar? Nah it's probably nothing.

Fortuna bows and she and Maximillion (the) Pegasus go back to patrolling the skies.

After she left, Chrom talks to me. "Knoll? What did I tell you when you first came to the garrison?"

"Was it something about Regna Ferox?"

He just continues to look sternly at me. "No, the other thing. You know… the one where you keep an eye on Streaky?"

"Umm… now that you mention it I have been having problems recently in keeping track of the sneaky fellow."

"Really? Is that why he suddenly came out of nowhere and started licking Emm's feet?"

Uh…

"Chrom it is fine, there is no harm done. I'm actually quite surprised; such a beast can be kind and caring." Emmeryn was _**kneeling down**_ and petting Streaky.

"I' am so sorry your Grace! I promise to take better care of him." I have no idea why I just apologized.

"It's fine. I think it was rather pleasant; I always wanted a pet. Streaky here gave me a small taste of what it would be like, and I would like to thank you for that." The more I see her now, the more my heart is aching. Though I barely noticed Philia trying to tell Emmeryn not to do such things and reminding here there are no animals (beside pegasi for protection) in the castle.

Chrom started talking to me again, "Knoll, Streaky is also a valued member of the Shepherds, but he is also a wild animal, even though he seems to have some mysterious sense of conscious, I want you to be sure he gets trained properly so he won't do anything that will force us to remove him. Do you understand?" Thankfully he just leaves me with a warning.

"Yes sir, Captain."

Chrom inhales. "Alright get in position with the other Shepherds. We are arriving soon…" He suddenly turns an angry gaze into the horizon and I walk back. Somehow I just know things are going to get bad.

* * *

Bad?! Try freaking disaster! When I heard, beforehand, that the scouts located Gangrel, I snuck upward with Ricken.

The idea was still good, but the execution was terrible. I had next to no idea where to go! How on earth did Ricken specifically find everyone here?! "Ok this idea sounded good, but I have no idea where they are."

Rciken huffed for air then said, "I agree, you think they would be in this direction where the army was going."

"If only Maribelle could give us a hint somehow."

Ricken gets excited, "That's it! I have an idea!" He takes something out and puts it near Streaky's nose. "Maribelle once had me make tea with her, as thanks, she gave me one of her old cups, but I've never used it. I figure that maybe Streaky here can find her sent." Wait why did he keep... Aww, I'm rooting for ya brother!

"Well it's all we got now, so come on Streaky!" I say.

Streaky sniffs the air then goes up higher into the cliff. "By jove, I think he's got it!" Ricken and I follow him quickly behind. When we get to a plateau, we find out an enemy camp. There weren't many people, although there were signs a lot more of them were here. Silently following Streaky, and making sure Ricken and I didn't make a sound, we came to a stop nearby an empty cage. Streaky stopped and whimpered softly.

I think I get it. "Alright, I think this was where she was before, but now she isn't." I whispered.

Ricken was a bit distressed. "What do we do now?"

Before I could answer, some obnoxiously loud Plegian soldiers interrupted me.

"So when does the signal go up?" One of them said.

The other one was just as loud, "It goes up when the king says it does. Either that, or when one of them Ylissen dogs die first; especially that annoying one. Me thinks they are down below us."

"Haha! I can't wait to show those dogs how good we are when we shred them from the skies with our wyverns! Good thing the stables are nearby. Speaking of which, what are we going to do with that one wyvern that won't listen to any of us? You know, the one we captured recently?"

"Well I think we'll just kill it, I hear wyvern meat is good in the black market."

"Gross buggers they are there."

Both fools laugh loudly. Ricken tugs my shirt and whispers, "How are we going to get down from here in time? They might be ready to Kill Maribelle!"

I look at him and then I look hear some loud roars. I then smile wide, "I think I have an idea…"

Ricken sighs, "Please don't let it be one of your infamous suicidal plans were we almost die if not for pure luck."

"Uh…"

=Meanwhile back with Chrom=

"You black-hearted devil!" Chrom insulted the Mad King.

"Control your dog, my dear, before someone gets hurt." Gangrel said.

Remembering not to make things worse, Chrom quickly sighed in defeat. "Rrgh…"

Gangrel continues on, "Now then, Your Graceliness. Perhaps we can arrange a trade? You give me the Fire Emblem, and I return Mari Contrary here in one piece."

"You would ask for Ylisse's Royal Treasure? But why?" Emmeryn asked.

Garnel shouted, "Because I know the legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one's wishes realized. I have desired it for years. YEARS!... Yet my birthday comes and goes each year, and nothing from Ylisse. Heheh…"

Emmeryn told him, "Enough! The Emblem's power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: To save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need. Would you claim a more noble wish?"

"I want what every Plegian wants- a grisly end for every last Ylissean!What could be more noble than that?"

"What?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten what the last exalt did to my people? Your father named us heathens! His "crusade" across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin!"

"…I have never denied Ylisse's past wrongdoings. But I have sworn never to repeat those mistakes. Ours is now a realm of peace."

"Yours is now a haven for hypocrisy! Now give me the Fire Emblem!"

"NO, Your Grace!" Marribelle screams. "I'd sooner die than act as a bargaining chip for this filthy reprobate!"

"No, Maribelle…" Emmeryn said.

"Ugh… Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk. It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!" At this, soldiers come out and try to attack Emmeryn, but Chrom steps in and kills the first warrior.

"Stay back! Or you'll all suffer the same fate!" Chrom screams.

"Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one… A big, messy war that will bleed all you Ylisseans dry! Bwa ha ha!"

Aversa then goes near Maribelle saying, "Poor, stupid girl… Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now, you will be remembered only as she who destroyed the House Ylisse."

"No… That's not… Oh, Lissa… Please no…" Maribelle said.

"Well then, any last words?" Aversa prepared a dark magic sphere in her hands.

"**HOW DO YOU FLY THIS FREAKING THING?!"**

Everyone below suddenly looked up. They saw something swoop into Maribelle and Aversa, but only hit Aversa. Maribelle suddenly disappeared in a blur. When they all once again looked up they saw a large, dark red scaled, sharp horned wyvern with eyes so red it could be seen from below. Riding on the strong, horned wyvern where four figures riding on it.

=In the sky=

"Hey I think I got her!" Ricken said.

"RICKEN?! What are you doing on a Wyvern?!" Maribelle asked? Poor girl this must be as confusing to her as it is to us.

"Knoll and I are here to rescue you!" Ricken said.

"Well yea, but so far it's been one crazy improvised idea after the otheRRRRRR!" The Wyvern suddenly does a hard right turn. "HOOOOLLLLLDDD OONN!" I regain control over the wyvern.

"BARK! BARK!"

"**ROAR!**"

Streaky, I don't know how you're doing it, but please tell me you aren't insulting the thing we are all riding right now.

"Huh? WOAH! Arrows!" I guide the wyvern away and see a large flock of enemy wyverns heading right towards us. Ricken uses his wind magic to knock of some wyvern riders who were right behind us.

"Hey, Knoll! It was a good idea for me to bring wind magic after all!" I'm glad too kid.

I then hear mister ugly universe shout from the ground, "Clip that maggot's wings out of the sky! Make those blasted Shepherds go SPLAT!"

Hmm… I think it's time to finally use that one insult I made up, playing this game the whole time. "HEY GANGREL! I HAVE A MESSAGE FROM FARMERS EVERYWHERE: THEY WANT YOU BACK IN THEIR FIELDS SCARING CROWS AGAIN!"

…

Haha…

"_**HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA!**_"

I was in shock with what happened just now. Everyone, even the enemies with the recently awakened Aversa, they were all laughing at my not-that-funny insult.

I then heard the demon himself say these next words.

"**KIIIIIIILLLLLLLL HHHHIIIIIIIIMMMMM!"** Maybe I shouldn't pissed off a guy with a huge army.

Suddenly the laughter died instantly and all of the Plegians, on foot or on wyvern, charged at the Ylissean army.

I guide the wyvern to land nearby the Shepherds.

When we land I look over to Chrom and say, "Mission accomplished Captain! I'll accept my punishment later!"

Both Ricken and Chrom looked at me and said, "_Wait, what?!"_

"Uh, to be honest, I borrowed Ricken for a duo mission on saving Marribelle… without your permission?" I'll accept punishment later.

"YOU WHAT?!" Both of them yelled at me.

"Yea yea, I am in a world's amount of trouble, but if it means I get to save a friend then I don't mind." (Maribelle: ?) "Look I did something stupid and I tell you a better reasoning for it later, but now we have them to deal with!"

"Bwa ha ha! I now have my war! Captain Orton! Remain here and take down as many Ylisseans as you can. Oh and be sure to **kill** the one that made a mockery of me **slowly** and **painfully** agonizing as possible!" Gangrel taunted from the top of the cliff.

Lucile started to take command, "Everyone! Here they come!" This was my first fight in a war.

* * *

Oh my, oh this is so… wrong… The pile of enemy dead bodies, the blood all over the place, and the only true winners seemed to be the vultures.

I guess I should be grateful, because of Lucile's tactical genius, No one in our army died, which would be considered a miracle under usual circumstances, but the blood… I wish I was fighting risen right now.

They weren't kidding back at home. They weren't kidding at all: War is Hell. All those history books on how terrible war was, my imagination was poor in that idea. War is truly a terrible thing. Worst of all, I feel like I'm slowly getting used to all of this as I continue to stare at all the blood. I clench my fist and tighten my grip on the steel sword and iron lance I was given.

"Knoll? … We need help in distributing medicine and Vulneary." Ricken said to me.

"Sure, I'm on it…" I inhale deeply, and then I walk with Ricken back to camp.

The entire fight was a daze… but I remember it clearly. I was slashing and dodging steel, dark magic blast, and falling bodies of wyverns' men and their weapons for what seemed to be forever. I was swinging my arms for almost the whole time, at one point they ached in pain like crazy, and then I couldn't even feel them.

If this is what is to come then I better steel myself. I wonder how they all do it.

"Knoll we need to talk." After helping around for a while Chrom calls me in a private tent, no doubt to scold me for risking a fellow Shepherd, and not telling anyone about my so called plan.

"So do you know why I called you?" Chrom sounds like my dad when he is scolding me.

"Because I needlessly lied to Ricken and risked his and my own life, when I should have at least consulted either you or Lucile on something like that."

"If you understand that, why did you do it?"

"Fear, I guess, though I won't blame anything and just accept punishment for my poor judgement." I wait a little for it.

"… For the next year, you're cleaning the stables and doing all the cleaning chores for two months." Wait… What? But to his point of view: I lied to Ricken, Both he and I could have died needlessly and I pretty much betrayed the trust of my friends! I at least expected to be kicked off the Shepherds for doing something so selfish.

"What? But I betrayed the trust of everyone in that stunt I pulled."

"You did, and you're going to slowly regain that trust. Knoll, I will admit, besides that, today you did two amazing things: one, you made everyone laugh at that dastard Gangrel. Haha! A scarecrow?! Brilliant!... Two: you were honest and took responsibility for your actions. That is an excellent show of character. I've kept my eye on you since you first joined, you've done nothing, but smile goofily and make tired expressions that make us laugh behind your back."

"Wha-"

"Let me finish, But… you also have worked hard, and cared deeply for your fellow Shepherds. You have some of the worst fighting skills I have seen and even though you have remarkable power, rookie soldiers have better combat skills, but you train harder than any of them. Every time you get knocked down in practice or in actual fights, you get back up again with a fiercer look in your eyes. I have never seen that in anyone before. Knoll, we all have faults and thanks to Emm, I'm trying to look past all of that. So, just make sure not to pull a stunt like that again. " He then leaves the tent.

I am in utter awe. For the first time in a very long time: I feel relieved. I guess even before hand, Chrom always tried to be more like Emmeryn before her so called death. I wish there was some way here I could prevent that, or at least, if I ever get the chance, to somehow heal her memories.

I walk out of the tent and look for Ricken. I spot him over distributing vulnerary to soldiers with Maribelle healing with Lissa and Streaky nearby.

"Hey Ricken?"

They all suddenly look at me with blank expressions.

"Look I need to say sorry for tricking you, it was terrible of me, and we could have both needlessly died."

Ricken simply says. "OK, I forgive you." That easy too huh? I promise I will never do something like this again.

"Really sorry still, anyway I can make it up to you?"

Before Ricken can say something, Maribelle tells me something. "Um… Knoll? Was it? I believe I owe _you _an apology. And I must thank you for rescuing me."

"No problem! It just a regular Friday for me."

"Knoll… It's Tuesday…" Lissa corrects me.

Then all of us suddenly burst into laughter, oh this- this is good.

"Oh hey Knoll! Could ya do me a favor?" Donny comes over.

He looks a bit distressed. I ask him, "What is it?"

Donny asks, "Do you know where that wyvern you rode went?"

"Well after the fight, I removed the armor and gear around him and let him free. Why do you ask?"

Donny seems a bit disappointed. "Aww shoot, I wanted to see one up close. That one was one fierce looking creature."

Ricken agrees to the statement. "Yeah when we first saw it, he was covered in chains and his muzzle was made of steel."

I add along. "Thankfully, Anna gave me a few tips on picking locks and I was able to free it… Only for it to almost breathe fire on us."

"Whoa? Almost?" Lissa commented.

I continue on, "Yeah we were in a pickle, before Streaky jumped in front of us and then the wyvern suddenly stooped."

"By some kind of unique bad luck-good luck curse Knoll has, (Knoll: Hey!) the wyvern and Streaky seemed to actually know one another. Since the moment the wyvern saw Streaky, it stopped immediately." Ricken says.

"So being friends to wyverns is another thing to add to the mysterious enigma known as Streaky?" Lissa jokes.

"Haha yes." I laugh.

"Come now everyone, these poor soldiers won't heal themselves." Maribelle says.

We then help around the others. A little later, I spot two people of interest: Sumia, and she is with the woman… Fortuna was it? I stare a little, Fortuna isn't wearing a helm anymore and she had a nice silky blue hair in a pony tail- Oh gosh, do I have a crush on her? I do don't I? Uh, better just offer some vulnerary and medicine and just be on my way.

"Hey ladies, do you need any Vulnerary for your wounds or are you just fine?" I can't help but feel I think I said something wrong.

"We already are good to go, you better help others, Shepherd, we are already fine." Fortuna tells me.

"Oh don't be so harsh, Fortu, Knoll this is Fortuna, she is an old friend of mine."

Wait she knows Sumia? I respond to her, "We've… already met and I didn't know you knew her Sumia?"

"Oh yes she, I and Cordelia were in the same squad as rookies. Looking at us now, it's hard to believe I'm with the Shepherds, Cordelia is on border Patrol, and Fortu here is one of Phila's Knights and one of Emmeryn's bodyguards." Sumia reminisces.

"To be honest, I think Cordelia would have done better as one of Phila's Knigh- Wait, do we have to be discussing this in front of him?!" Fortuna said as she pointed to me.

Sumia sighs, "Fortuna don't be so hostile; Knoll here is a good friend, (maybe a little insane), and he really is a good guy."

Did she murmur something in that?

Fortuna stares at me coldly, before sighing and saying, "Alright, if you must know, the three of us seemed to fit quite well together. Excluding Cordelia who isn't here right now, The three of us were a bit of loners. Sumia, here, was a Klutz." Sumia laughs nervously at that and Fortuna continues on, "Cordelia was a genius and a prodigy, but everyone but us two was so cynical and mean to her, and me? I was the weird and stiff girl that scowled a lot, so no one liked me."

Sumia cuts in, "We actually didn't get along with each other first. Fortuna scared me and I started crying, then Cordelia started scolding Fortu, and Fortu, in retaliation, started defending herself and calling Cordelia a know-it-all. The two of them then started to fight while I was still crying. I took Philia ten minutes to calm all three of us down."

"Wow that sounds amazing. So how did you all get along with each other?" I ask.

Fortuna turns all red while Sumia giggles. Sumia then tells me what happened. "We were all so bad, after we Cordelia and Fortuna were bandaged up, we were put in a time out. While there, Cordelia's bandages made her look really fun, so funny infact- (Fortuna: Don't you dare!) Heheh… She burst into laughter and started snorting!" Sumia giggles as Fortuna gets flustered. " When she started to snort, we all suddenly started to laugh… That was the moment we all became inseparable."

Fortuna speaks with a red face and her head down. "That's my most cherished, but my most embarrassing moment." She then looks at me with a red face. "You better not laugh at me for that!" She tries to look angry, but it's hard to take her seriously with a red face.

"Oh no no no. In fact, I think it's kinda cute if you snort when you laugh." I say with a smile and close my eyes. The moment I open them, I see a fist-

…...

* * *

**AHAHAHA!**

**Oh poor Knoll; the first time he openly flirts with a girl, he gets punched in the face!**

**It's too bad we will never know the secret relationship of Victor and Vincent. To be honest, those guys are my favorite chapter bosses because they are so popular they are in two other DLCs and they have a fun personality.**

**Oh and a few chapters back, I promised to write some references to other cartoons and stuff, but I feel recently I have been lacking, so instead of another reference in every chapter, I am going to randomly place some of these references in random chapters. In here, I put two of them. They aren't that hard to find if you pay attention and find it, but just in case, here a few clues into them.**

**_ _m _o_s_ _l _  
**

**_ _-_ _-_ _!**

**Back with the story, we finally learn a potential hiding spot of the Interferer who is under the tree. Hmm… that sounded simple let me try again: **

"**We learned that the enigmatic and obviously evil Evil Interferer has taken shelter within the Blessed Mila Tree! Can Knoll and Choronos stop him in a span of two years?! Will I ever stop talking like this?! Found out next time! On the next sentence!" **

**I am so sorry. (Not really :( ****) **

**And lastly the mysterious and loyal being known as Streaky, has proven once more there is more to him than meets the eye… Oh and Knoll has a potential love interest. So far I like how I wrote both of them. (Wish me luck! This is the first time I'm writing something romantic.) **

**I liked how I wrote this chapter, compared to my last one. Maybe I should do something like this more often.**

**Well then thank you for your time and please review.**

**Oh wait, Chronos did mention an odd power spike... I wonder what that was?**

* * *

=Somewhere=

*Two gigantic boulders are seen. One is black and one is white. On both rocks there are countless symbols and chains tied to them. A zoom into the center seal of the black rock, and a crack forms, seeping from it shines a pale white light.*


	8. Error: Reloading Update 8

UPDATE #8

PROGRESS: NORMAL

SITUATION: N0-ZZT- NORMAL

SYSTEM RESTORATION STATUS: NORMAL

OVERVIEW MODE: N0-NOR-NOR-

RE-PATCHING ERRORS AND GLITCHES…

CONTINU- NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL

NORMAL.

* * *

Uhhhh… Oh my head… My face… What happened?

I hear a voice, "Guys! He is waking up!" It sounds like Lucile.

I try to talk, "Lu-Lucile? What happened?"

…Laughter? Are they laughing at me?

"Sorry Knoll, it's just that you were punched in the face by Sumia's friend, for flirting with her." Lucile says.

"Since when was being honest considered flirting? And she hit me?" I get off of whatever I'm lying down on. "Hey? Where am I?"

"You're in one of the couches in a random guest room of the castle." Another voice says this. "You were out cold for a day." Chrom?

"Were back in the castle? I was out for a day?!"

"I am so sorry Knoll. I really didn't expect Fortu to do that." Sumia tells me. "She would like to apologize, but she has to continue her work." I look around in my bed; besides Kellam (I think) Anna, and Miriel, all the other Shepherds where here.

"Why did she punch me anyway?" I get up and I rub my face, oddly enough, my face feels fine, even my nose.

Sumia taps her fingers together while looking away, "Um, she said it was because you made fun of her?"

I sigh, I then hear Vaike say something, "Hey Knoll, It looks like you have terrible luck with women as well! HAHAHA-" Sorry Teach, can't hear you over that pillow that hit you in the face.

"Knock it off you two." Chrom says. "We just arrived here in the castle. Lucile and I are going to have a war council with Emmeryn… We are now in war with Plegia and we need a plan of action."

Hmm, I wonder… "Hey Chrom, since the Mad Scarecrow is after the emblem and Emmeryn, maybe we should move both of them to a different area while we fight the war."

"Wow Knoll." Lucile says, "That's what I was going to suggest later on."

Stahl jumps in, "Then it's probably not a good idea then. If Knoll was thinking it, then chances are: it will back fire on us."

"HAHAHA!"

Oh laugh it up everyone; I will (probably) get my revenge- one day! But the sad thing is that it does back fire…

After the laughing dies down, Chrom addresses everyone, "So for now, all of you can patrol the castle. Be sure to also set some of your things ready because we are staying here for the night."

Everyone leaves the room, and I get off of the couch and walk around. I never fully explored the castle when I was here with Streaky the first time. Now I get to have a better look at it all.

* * *

I'm lost.

I have no idea where I am, and I think I passed by that vase four times. Worst of all, I left Streaky with Lissa and Maribelle because they wanted to "Test healing staves" with my poor wolf. This SUCKS.

Alright, I'll just check this corridor and- hello!? I recognized that armor.

"Hey Fortuna?"

"!" She suddenly stops in her tracks and looks at me. "Shepherd… I- are you alright?"

I fold my arms, (No thanks to you…) "Yes, I am fine. And I am sorry for the misunderstanding; I was simply trying to make you feel good."

"I would like to apologize for my behavior that was very rude of me." She says.

Then it suddenly gets awkwardly quiet between the both of us…

"Uh." Fortuna starts to say something. "I need to get back to my patrol. Goodbye." She then walks away.

UGHAUGH! That was so embarrassing! I feeling dying right now… Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

"Quit banging your head on that pillar."

After realizing I was actually banging my head on the pillar I look over to see Lon'qu.

"Oh hey Lon'qu… How long have you been standing there?"

"Since you two first made contact." Another awkward silence follows.

... Great this again- wait a sec- I'm still lost aren't I?

I ask him something. "Hey Lon'qu?"

"Yes?"

I scratch the back of my head and say. "I kind of got lost here in the castle… Do you know where the main lobby here is or something?"

"…" He remains oddly silent.

"Uh, Lon'qu?"

"… I assumed you knew…"

If there was a table here I would flip it.

Apparently, Lon'qu is acting a lot like Zoro from One Piece right now.

I sigh and say, "Great, and Fortuna just left." I lean on one of the walls and suddenly lose my footing. "Whoa!"

I back off and see what happened. I accidently pushed a piece of wall in. Then a piece of wall opens up into a secret chamber way.

Both Lon'qu and I look at each other, "…" And with that we walk into a dark secret.

* * *

WARNING! WARNING!

SYSTEM RESTORATION'S PROGRESS HAS BEEN MOMENTARILY LOST.

* * *

=Elsewhere=

We find Chronos somewhere deep in a forest, he suddenly looks in the direction of where Ylisse's castle would be.

"…? Knoll? Knoll!? What happened? I lost connection with him… That's never happened before. I wish I can go there right now, however, I think I stumbled on to something. Be safe Knoll, if you die, this world will be doomed." Chronos had taken the form of a large, blue anaconda. He slithered his way into a huge and hidden lake within the mountains.

Chronos looks around, then, the area around him shakes violently. Chronos remains motionless as he stares into the water.

The water shakes violently, and out of the water comes, a giant white whale with a beard and mustache.

"Hail, Neptous, Great spirit of the sea. I am Chronos an ancient guardian of time. I thank thee for allowing this audience."

The giant whale, known as Neptous, greeted Chronos, _"Hail, Chronos, Time's ancient defender. I am Neptous, the seas' Great Spirit. How may I serve thee?"_

"Neptous, I am here to talk about this world… I only now realize that, despite the changes and fluxes with both humans and Arch dragons, the greatest change is within the region of spirits in this world."

"_You are very sharp, Guardian. You speak of the truth, after eons and eons of neutrality, the other great spirits of this world have become have more involved within the war between mortals and their so called gods…"_ Neptous spoke.

"I would be honored and well informed if you were to tell me more on the history of the spirits of this world." Chronos suddenly looked around his surroundings, but Neptous continued on.

"_As you know, we are the spirits of this world, long ago when the world was born, we helped forge the seas and land masses, we shaped the volcanoes that erupt from the planet, and we even painted the sky and all other colors. We are the architects of this world, we always change and we always fix. Man, Dragon, and even Demon have always waged war amongst each other, and each time we spirits stay the same slowly repairing the world, slowly changing the world. But times have changed, Guardian, your presence as confirmed it. We have now become restless, tired of being neutral, tired of being the ones whom repair the battle field. Whispers have been heard, whispers of temptation and dominance. One by one, Spirits whom were once loyal and noble in their work, muster their servants and gather their resources for a war within the world itself."_ Neptous told his story.

"I see that is how the Interferer messed this timeline so much; the spirits here have become aggressive; he must have somehow convinced your brethren to abandon their duties."

"_Not at all, some have taken it upon themselves to repair the damages done. A powerful mother spirit has made a move to save all. A naïve attempt on her will."_

"Why are you cynically saying that? Shouldn't you help her?" As Chronos said this, he spotted in the corner of his eyes, beings moving around the surrounding area.

"_I may represent water, a thing with no true stability, but I will remain neutral… to all things…"_

"…I have come to the conclusion that your definition of neutral is different from my meaning of neutral." Chronos stays still and closes his eyes as he says this.

Suddenly from the corners of the lake, jumped out sharks and other viscous looking fish all of which were in the form of pure water. All of them surrounded Chronos and were prepared to attack him.

"_You may be right, Oh Ancient Guardian- or shall I call you of your true title? The one you beings of old had abandoned… Well, __**GRAND SPIRIT?**__"_

Chronos remains silent and motionless with his eyes close.

"_The Interferer has told me much about you Chronos. He told me your kind was the group of first spirits made directly after Creation. The first guardians and governors of the elements; your true powers make all the gods of this world nothing but a speck of dust. He also told me how all that power was drained after the fall of the very first reality, the first Universe. You maybe a being from being from beyond, but you are a spirit none the less, and in this world, we spirits can devour one another, but we were prevented by our brotherhood forged from our births." _Neptous smacked his lips with a black toungue._ "However, the brotherhood said nothing of devouring foreign spirits. As soon as I devour you, I will make everything neutral forever."_ Neptous eyes glowed red. As he himself rose above the Lake and showed his sharp teeth.

Chronos was still motionless and still closing his eyes, but he finally spoke. "In that entire monologue… all you spoke of was my power. I don't know if the Interferer told you about my pain, the people I cared for, or even what I truly lost. But either way, you didn't seem to care." Chronos opens his eyes and they shine and glow blue. This scares all of the enemies as they all back up from Chronos, but still surround him. "Haha… I wonder… What would he say?" Chronos averts his gaze elsewhere before he looks back at Neptous. "Oh _noble _Neptous, my fangs may have dulled considerably; however, they are still sharp enough to pierce through your existence like butter." Chronos threatens Neptous in a nonchalant manner despite being surrounded.

"_Arrogant Failure! Servants of the Sea! ATTACK!"_

All of them charge at Chronos, whose eyes shine bright within the darkened waters.

* * *

RECONNECTION COMPLETE.

RESUMING SYSTEM RESTORATION.

* * *

"UGH!" I almost fall down while I am walking down this dark corridor.

"Are you alright?!" Lon'qu catches Knoll and helps him out.

"*Huff Huff* Sorry, I felt really bad for one moment… I'll be fine." I clutch the necklace Chronos gave me. The pain seemed to come from there… I forgot that Chronos is risking his life as well to save this world. I inhale and move on; realizing that I have to do my part as well. So far Lon'qu and I have been walking down these stairs for a while. Each step keeps us on edge as we slowly descend to the darkness- is what I would say, but now I think this is some kind of endless hallway and I am getting tired.

"Just where are we going?!" Even Lon'qu seems frustrated.

I look back to him and say, "I have no id- Oof!" Out of freaking nowhere, I walk into a door. Freaking Universe.

Lon'qu inspects the door. "This door hasn't been used in a long time."

"I think you would pay better attention to it appearing out of nowhere. So… do we go in?"

Lon'qu takes out his blade (crap I didn't bring a weapon) and cuts down the door.

We look into the room and I gasp, "Oh my- What is all of this?"

The room we entered looked like an obsessive psycho's room. There were logs, reports, and maps with markings all over the Plegian area in the maps.

I notice and walk over to a table with a bunch of papers in them they all have odd crudely drawn and erratic markings of the mark of Grima, Lucile's symbol.

"Is… is this some kind of shrine to Grima in the capital of Ylisse?" Lon'qu asks as he looks at these things with me. I notice a book and read it under the light.

"No… I don't think this is a shrine, rather I think this is- this is the previous exalt, Contemno's secret chamber."

"Wait, where did you come up with that?!" Lon'qu looks at me.

"This book here is erratic in its handwriting, but it basically writes about how much this guy wants to destroy Plegia. Countless battle tactics, predictions on enemy moves, and disturbing notes on how the Grimleal brutally sacrifice victims for their worship, this fits the desperate ideals of the previous exalt. That and there is a royal symbol on this notebook." I show Lon'qu the book.

Lon'qu looks at the book, but he seems to look annoyed and he returns it to me. "Erratic?" He says, "They almost look like random scribbles! How can you read that all with such poor lighting?'

"I have done a fair share of writing…" I look into what he wrote and read a passage. "They question (me)?! They don't see… They don't dream… all of its eyes… If Plegia lives… all dies…"

"What is that cryptic nonsense?"

"I think Contemno was a victim or was haunted by visions." I take one of the drawings off the table. "I think he was plagued by visions of Grima returning, and he was driven mad trying to stop it by cruelly trying to kill every last one of them." This explains why Chrom's dad did such a thing.

"Hearing that almost makes me pity the poor dastard; I do understand something plaguing you for the rest of your days, however, not like this…" Lon'qu looks over behind me. "Knoll, look behind you, there is another door behind you."

I look over to where Lon'qu said, and I walk over to it and notice an odd lock and chain on the door.

Lon'qu sees the concern on my face, "What's wrong?"

"The door was old, but these chains and locks… their new…"

"Stand aside." I move out of the way and Lon'qu breaks the door and everything else. We then take a look into this new room and stare in shock.

"That… that can't be right…" I say.

Lon'qu is as surprised as me. "Is this some kind of joke?!"

The room… was empty.

It was just a dark room, though it wasn't dark enough for anything to be hidden.

"… OH MY-" I fall down backwards.

"Knoll? What is it?!" Lon'qu asks me, but all I do is point to the ceiling.

There was a symbol on the ceiling, but it wasn't Grima's symbol, and it wasn't the royal symbol either.

It was my symbol.

The same mysterious symbol I was given, the same odd sharpened flower version of the Jedi symbol. And right at the bottom off of the symbol, written in blood, was "I must destroy Plegia! Before _**IT**_ comes."

"Knoll…" Lon'qu starts. "Where did you get those pads?"

"… A man in a gold cloak gave them to me…" I would like to say universe, but now that I think about it, it may be him. I can't believe I forgot completely about him. He must be the Interferer.

I get up and say to Lon'qu, "We- we should go… we should tell the others about this…"

Lon'qu only nods and we both leave the rooms.

= While they leave the room, the scene doesn't change=

One man(?) appears from the soft shadows. With a wave of his hand the message and the symbol disappear.

"Hmm… Were his visions of destruction so terrible, he peaked into a deep future? The potential of mortals can be quite astounding."

* * *

Its night now, I am with Streaky walking along the castle. What do you call an area of the castle that's open air? Basically from here, I can spot everyone from the top here.

Now what happened when Lon'qu and I got back with everyone… It is really creepy. First everything seemed fine; we told them about the room. Chrom wanted only a few of us to go, so only he and Frederick wanted to see this room Lon'qu and I found. When Chrom say all of this you can tell it all bothered him, but the look in his eyes told me that a part of him expected this. The creepy part was when I told them about the other room… the door wasn't there and worst of all Lon'qu said he didn't see another door, as if the room I was talking about never existed. Everyone then assumed that maybe I hit my head harder than I thought or suggested I was seeing things; I agreed to what they were saying, but in my head I knew something had changed.

After that debacle, I've been trying to clear my head… I guess right now I should focus on preventing the assassination since I have resigned myself into thinking Lucina isn't here, which by the way, is worrying me very much. I imagine that I have to somehow prevent the deaths and pain of Chrom, without tipping my hand and making them all think I am from another world that thinks this place is a game.

So far, the idea is to find Chrom and Lucile outside… In this castle I get lost easily in… It won't be to hard right? I mean, I could just spot them both from out here right? RIGHT?!

Nope, wrong. I just remembered Chrom seemed more distressed as soon as I showed him the secret room. I may have doomed this world more than I already have.

"_**BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!"**_ Streaky starts barking wildly, and runs back into the castle.

"Hey Streaky?! Come back!" Despite Streaky being faster than me I follow the sound of his barking which could be heard the entire castle.

Did Streaky sense the assassins? I always wondered how they got here… maybe I'll try and find out.

As I run around a corner, Streaky suddenly stops barking, and I find out why as he suddenly is thrown at my chest.

"Oof!" I hold on to streaky and tumble backward hitting the wall, but thankfully cushioning Streaky's blow. I look up to see two assassins; apparently this super hero gimmick thing is coming back because these two assassins are dressed up in white and black. And their scarves, you guessed it, black for the white and vice versa.

The black one started to talk. (Hope that doesn't sound racist.) "Look brother! There is another!"

"Worry not little bro, we will just kill them so." The white one said.

Suddenly, I miss Vincent and Victor.

Streaky gets off me and continues barking wildly. HOW IS NO ONE COMING HERE TO HELP ME?!

"How did you two get here?! And… who are you two?" I realized I said that order wrong, but alas my thoughts go faster than my mouth.

"We are the Brothers of Death!"

"And you have already breathed your last breath!"

"I am Zul, the killer white!"

"Beholden Dadlam! The balck anti-knight."

They both point to Streaky and I, and say "Shut up the mutt! Or you'll be cut…" They draw out their swords in a synchronized manner.

You know, I have been forgetting my weapons way more than Vaike. I mean Vaike?! The guy who forgets the name for almost every one!

I look at both the Fail twins and say, "Both of you are fools. Being used as tools- Great now you got me rhyming too…s"

Both of them charged at me; Streaky and I dodge, but they both go after me and slash a piece of both my arms! It freaking hurts. I run away but they both chase me. Ugh! They are fast! How am I going to keep this up? I gotta get to the others! Wait a sec… This hallway... Gotta somehow slow them down or speed up.

"You will not get away!"

"We will continue this fray!"

"SHUT UP!"

"What the- where did he go?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know."

"He must have gone in there!"

"We know he did not disappear into thin air."

I swear if I wasn't weak, I'd kill both of them.

Just a little more… OK.

*Push.*

*Click.*

*BANG!*

It was convenient, after all, how I was nearby the entrance to the secret corridor. The two will take a while to get to the room, and when they come back their going to have to find out how to open it from there because even we don't know how to open the door from inside.

Now that the rhyming has finally stopped, I better find the others before they get chopped-

…

*Runs*

I run towards the main hall. Thankfully, I now know where it is; I have to somehow find- WHAT THE?! Somebody just threw that enemy thief and fighter right before me and they hit the wall.

"Knoll!"

"Captain! Lucile! Streaky?!" I Look at the group and notice one more person behind them. "Your Grace!?" OK, its official I ruined the timeline here.

Lucile told me the situation. "We are under attack! Assassins are attacking everyone! The guards and even the other Shepherds!"

"No kidding." I replied. "Streaky and I were cut off by the Twins of Death. Annoying dastrads…"

"The Brothers of Death?! That can't be, their part of an underground group known as the Forty Assassins." Chrom said.

Both Lucile and I stare at him because we both don't know who that is.

"The Forty Assassins are gang lords who control the black market." I was shocked Emmeryn was the one explaining this. "They are the most elusive and wanted people throughout the kingdoms."

Lucile holds her arm- Whoa, she is bleeding. "That explains why those two we fought just now were really good." I look to Chrom he looks roughed up as well.

"Knoll your hurt as well…" Emmeryn says as she notices my arms.

I reply "Thankfully, they missed any muscles; I can still freely move my arms. Though… So do any of you have some spare vulnerary?"

"I am sorry everyone, allow me to heal all of you." I forgot that Emmeryn was a sage, convenient she has a staff with her, though of course she isn't armed.

"Thanks Emm, stay with us. This is going to be one hell of a night. Lucile any plans?" Chrom says this.

"First thing first is we have to regroup, they caught us all off guard and right now our friends could be on the brink of death, let's move!" We all start running towards the main hall.

While on our way there, Lucile asks me a question, "How did you beat the assassins?"

"I didn't I trapped them into the secret chamber we found. Though, I'm surprised Streaky and Lady Emmeryn is with you."

Chrom starts, "It's thanks to Streaky here that we were able to beat them. Because of his loud barking, something we all know by now means trouble; I think he woke up the entire castle guard, because I hear fighting all over we go."

"He also helped Chrom and I beat the two a while ago, They were out maneuvering us until Streaky came out of nowhere and bit the neck of one of them."

"So what about you Your Grace?"

"I wanted to meet with Chrom when I heard how you stumbled unto father's secret chamber. When I arrived, they attacked." OK she wasn't supposed to go to Chrom, but if this army is a buffed up version of Chapter 6, it actually works in our favor- uh… story wise?

As we turn around the corner we meet with Plegian soldiers, one stands out more than the rest, Gauis.

Everyone, but him, charges at us and we easily dispatch them, Chrom then starts his recruitment speech.

"Drop your weapon, or die where you stand!"

"Easy there blue blood. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

" ...Yet you run with a band of assassins?"

"Believe it or not, just trying to make a living. I'm a thief, see? Bust open doors, crack into chests...that kind of thing. This lot said they wanted to break into some type of vault. Nobody said anything about murder. I'd just as soon sit this one out."

"Hmm... Then perhaps you'd be willing to prove your good intentions?"

"Beg pardon?"

"We need all the help we can get to save the exalt's life. You appear capable, and we could use any information you have about our foes."

"Oh, right - those good intentions. Fine, then, I'll prove my sincerity...if you sweeten the deal."

"You want gold? ...Fine, you scoundrel. Let me just - oops."

"Looks like you dropped something. What's in the satchel, mmm?"

"Nothing - candies from my little sister. I'm sure you-"

"Candies"? As in, sugar candies?"

"Well...yes, I assume they'd be sweet? But-"

"IT'S A DEAL!"

"You'll risk your life for us if I give you...a bag of candy?"

"I said "sweeten the deal", didn't I? Don't get me wrong, I'll take the gold too. Later. Unless you've got more of these. ...Have you got more of these?!"

"Um... I'll ask Lissa."

"And with that, welcome to the Shepherds! First Mission: Survive this night." I say sarcastically and everyone looks at me.

"That fact that five of the underworld's top assassins are here to kill us, you still have a need to be witty?" he smiles at me, and I just shrug.

Lucile seems surprised, "Five? There are five of them here? Can you tell us what we are up against?"

"Well… Basically it's like this: the lead of this operation is from a Plegian named Validar. He received aid from a mysterious benefactor who paid the five or technically four to invade this place." Gaius explains.

Validar… that dude sucks.

"Four?" Chrom asks.

"You see… two of them are brothers, twins, they have this gimmick were they seem to act like one."

I enter the conversation. "Don't remind me…"

"What? How did you survive them both without a scratch?!"

"He trapped us within an odd room."

"It will now serve as his future tomb."

Streaky growled and we all prepared ourselves and met with the return of the clichés.

I say, "Shame on me, for thinking that would hold you both for the night."

BOOM!

The wall between us gets broken as Vaike hits the other wall. Was he just thrown through a wall?!

"Vaike!" Stahl, Donnel and Ricken get out off the hole in the wall and run up to Vaike.

"Guys?!" I scream at them. "What happened?!"

Lon'qu comes out of nowhere, quickly backing off from the wall as a big explosion tears open the corridor we were in.

Two people walk out; one of them is a big hulking Berserker. He has a Mohawk and painted his face like a heavy metal star. The other one is a dark knight, but he isn't on his horse.

The Beserker looked to the duo assassins and said. "Ah… There be our comrades in arms! Zul, Dadlam! Have you enjoyed a good meeting of steel yet?"

"Not quite good, but curious." Dadlam said.

"Though, he has made us quite furious." Zul said as they both pointed their blades to me.

the dark knight walks over to them, "Must you two always rhyme when we are on a job? Just talk normally, people will still fear you both, regardless of that trashy art you both do." Whoa, that is one fancy blade and tome the dark knight has; I hope I'm not fighting him.

"To talk normal, is to let down our guard."

"Plus, this isn't easy at all. It's really quite hard."

"Then at least be quite for the rest of this fight, I'm getting a headache just listening to you two."

"Thank you!" I say, suddenly he looks at me with sharp yellow eyes.

"Hey… isn't that the Exalt?..." The dark knight says.

"You're not going anywhere near her!" Chrom steps in front of us wielding Falchion.

"Prince Chrom, I presume? My name is Mavro. This hulking man is my acquaintance: Thayer. I'm sure those two have already introduced themselves, but just in case: the white one is Zul and the black one is Dadlam. We are here to kill the exalt and take the emblem. Surrender or we kill you."

I answer before anyone can speak, "Well, we choose the third option: we kick your butts and send you freaks of nature back to the gutter you crawled out from!"

This conversation bought us enough time, Emmeryn healed Vaike and the others were re grouped with us. Still, these guys are going to be the toughest fight yet.

"I'll admit I never heard that before… but can you back it up?" The dark knight opens up his tome and a cold chill fills the air- Wait, an ice tome?! They have those here?!

Lucile looks over to us, "Ricken!" Both mages open up their tome and we all step back.

Ricken and Lucile scream "Elthunder/Elwind!"

Mavro unleashes his spell as well, "Hielo!" a blizzard of ice clashes with the wind and thunder, we all close our eyes as the spell collides.

* * *

**Hanger of Cliffs! Reader Man!**

**So our heroes are in quite a pickle, aren't they? **

**Chronos has finally found the major cause of change in the timeline. However, he gets attack by one of the old spirits of the world, Neptous (named after Neptune.)**

**Knoll and the Shepherds must face against a new threat: The Forty Assassins (based on the forty thieves)(Second note: I might plan to include the other 35, might not, depends really.)  
**

**What of the symbol Knoll reluctantly wears? What is the symbol and powerful future does it represent?**

**I put a little more story into the story of Chrom's parents or prehistory, so far I hope you people like my idea on how I am explaining their story or some details overlooked, and if not well… I guess I just have to think harder of a better way to write my story.**

**Recently I think my story has been lacking in epic fighting scenes, considering how I skipped the entire fight scene in the Chapter 6 of the story. I'm going to try to make an amazing story oriented fight scene. (Which somehow my ideas of epic fights are amazing cerography mixed with stunning visual effects.) So… how do I put something like that into a non-budget, student story fan fiction? **

**Ehh whatever, not many people read this anyway, I'm sure I at least won't embarrass myself in front of many people.**

**So to the names: if some people paid attention, you'll notice that the names I have chosen for the new characters have a bit of lore behind them, because I always liked how there is so much to a person if they have a name that somehow matches them.**

**Marvo= (*a googled) Translation of black in Greek**

**Thayer= named after the guitarist Tommy Thayer from Kiss.**

**Zul=* translation of light in Spanish made backwards.**

**Dadlam= Pretty much like Zul, though darkness.**

**And for the Spell Hielo= Another googled translation of ice in spanish.**

**Now that I look at this stuff, I really like researching things like this and adding them to my story, since it's just the names. Maybe I shouldn't use Google and try to find more accurate sites in my researches… I feel that actually makes me more stupid in doing this. But hey I guess I have to pour my heart into this story and hope for the best.**

**I'm also planning on re doing chapter one. When I last checked this story I saw that out of 1000 people reading this story only 200 bothered to continue. So the next chapter may come a little later as I try to somehow make Chapter one… uh… less of being a chapter one?**

**Did you guys remember? Gaius said that there were FIVE assassins? So far there were only four, not to mention where is Validar? Where are the rest of the Shepherds? Find out next time in the next (not) exciting episode of System Restoration Z!**

**-cue Dragon Ball ending credits song-**

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	9. Update 9

UPDATE # 9

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MODE: OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

No Lucina.

No Chronos.

And powerful new enemies appear.

As Knoll progresses on, the timeline becomes more polluted, more unstable.

Thus with that, ingredients are added into the mix that were never supposed to be there.

How will the Restorer fair against these changes? And what destiny awaits all the beings of this world?

All one can do now is watch, watch and listen…

* * *

The Blinding Flash engulfed the room; when it ended, everyone opened their eyes to see the corridor walls and floor destroyed. This meant that there was a huge gap between the two parties, and Lucile saw this as an opportunity.

"Everyone move! Get to the Main Hall!" With that all of them started running away from the magic ground zero.

"They truly believe something like this will let them escape?" Dadlam spoke.

"Fools, all of them, we will crush their bodies in to a poor shape." Zul continued.

Marvo put back his tome and unsheathed his blade, "Just chase after them."

All four of them jumped over the destroyed area and quickly ran after the group.

Both Lon'qu and Gaius felt a distant thud and looked back, they saw that all of the assassins jumped the gap and were closing fast on them.

Donnel said, "Golly! What will it take to stop em?!"

"Just keep running! We can't face them here in the corridors; we would not only be out matched, but choked in!" Lucile said.

Chrom pointed ahead. "There! The doors to the main hall!"

Chrom, Gaius, and Lon'qu charged ahead and broke the door down.

"What are you all waiting for? Go in!" Lucile says.

They all went out of the frying pan and into the sun.

When they entered the main hall, it was a battlefield, thieves were trying to fight guards, some of the body guards were fighting assassins, and the once beautiful hallway was tattered and destroyed.

Despite that view, they all ran out toward the field beating thieves and warriors who weren't the body guards as they tried to avoid the four right behind their trail.

"Thayer, Do it." Marvo said. "Zul, Dadlam assist. That pillar." All of them ran towards the pillar. Zul and Dadlamed cut off the pillar high and low, and Marvo pushed the cut pillar towards Thayer.

"Ha! Today is a good day to fight!" Holding the pillar over his shoulder, Thayer threw the giant pillar high and it flew right towards the Shepherds.

"DUCK!" Chrom shouted, they all ducked under the pillar and it landed in front of them.

"Uh, Lucile, Any brilliant plans?" Knoll asked her.

Lucile looks around, "Lon'qu, Gaius, and Knoll, lead the twins towards the stairs there! Chrom, Vaike , and Stahl handle Thayer here. Donnel, Ricken, Emmeryn, your with me, come on!" they all split up.

Lon'qu and Gaius circled around and attack Zul and Dadlam, after the attack, they quickly backed off and followed Streaky and Knoll, who beat a few cavaliers that were blocking their way. Knoll picked up the lance and the sword and ran along with the speed group.

Ricken and Lucile did another blast of combined magic towards Marvo. He avoided the attack completely and ran after them.

As for the last three they had to face the giant, eight foot man with an absurdly long broad axe. "I hope you'll do better than the last fight." He told both Vaike and Stahl.

=Speed group=

(Song recommended to play= Strength of a Thousand Men by Two Steps From Hell)

One of the main entrance stairways is where we find the swordsmen all gathered together. Streaky and Knoll were facing Zul in the lower half while Gaius and Lon'qu were facing Dadlam.

We focus in to Knoll and Streaky. Knoll was wielding both an iron sword and lance.

"I see you wield two; I guess I will do it too." Zul took out another blade that looked exactly like his first, making it seem to Knoll that both twins had a pair of exact blades. Knoll started to fight with a stab of the lance, Zul dodged it and locked his left around lance and to his back and he used his right hand to try and slash Knoll. Knoll immediately recognized this style of fighting from the countless kung fu movies he watched, and quickly countered with his free hand; Knoll anticipated Zul to repeatedly use his free hand and blade to strike him at the top, while he maneuvered to avoid his feet from being swept away by Zul's legs. When Zul tried to go a full sweep towards Knoll's legs, Knoll instinctively jumped, spun his body, and did a flying roundhouse kick that sent Zul stumbling away to the other side of the stairs. Knoll gaped in shock on how he was able to do something related to martial arts here.

Then Zul regained his composure, looked at Knoll, who picked up his lance, and said, "So you know Xiaolin… It won't help you win." Suddenly Zul crouched and spun around making him a spinning blade top of doom. Knoll backed away; letting his inner movie instincts take over, he aimed his lance right at the exact spot and moment between the two feet, but that stopped his spinning and feet, not his arms, where one of the swings was aiming right for Knoll's head. Knoll took out his own blade and clashed it with the one about to hit him. Zul was expecting this and used his last free arm to stab Knoll in the chest, which would have worked, if not for Streaky pouncing on Zul who, used the blade intended for Knoll, to strike Streaky. Streaky fell down the stairs, but he got up and looked to Zul.

Seizing the moment of distraction, Knoll once more jumped spin and split kicked Zul in the stomach, this time Knoll made sure to kick him hard, making Zul hit the wall and a few cracks appeared in the impact. Knoll noted how maybe his random strength can actually be used in fights with kicks and punches.

=Back with Gaius and Lon'qu.=

Dadlam also unleashed his twin blades towards the opposing swords men, and charged right at both of them. He split them up with the initial charge and went straight for Lon'qu.

Dadlam was far more aggressive than his brother, he was slashing at Lon'qu who was backing up only to parry and dodge his viscous assault. Gaius charged back in aiming for Dadlam's back. Gaius swung the blade towards the back nape of his neck, but Dadlam parried it with a backhand with one of his blades.

Lon'qu then started his counter attack. He then started a series of quick and strong slashes of his own, which Dadlam was now avoiding. Gaius was joining in the assault and Dadlam suddenly jumped out of the area and higher up the stairs. Both Lon'qu and Gaius charged at him, but so did Dadlam. They all clashed blades and were in a dead lock.

Dadlam looked over to his brother to see him get kicked to the wall by Knoll's split kick. "Zul!" He moved his blade and kicked Lon'qu in the chin, and then he avoided Gaius and went straight to Knoll.

Knoll heard Dadlam heading towards him and he, with Streaky, ran outside. Zul got back up, wiped blood of his chin and followed his brother in pursuing Knoll again. Gaius and Lon'qu ran after them to save their allies.

Knoll and Streaky stopped running and faced their adversaries. Knoll closed his eyes and relaxed; both assassins charged at him Zul aiming for his legs and Dadlam jumping up and over to slash from the top. Knoll tossed his weapons and got into a running position and dashed straight towards Zul. Zul slashed, but Knoll barely dodged it and slid right behind Zul and grabbed him in the stomach; Knoll then lifted Zul and did a suplex hold takedown. Knoll knew somehow listening to his movie instincts was a formidable weapon.

Dadlam landed and went to do a wide horizontal slash with both blades; Knoll ducked, but when the blades were right above him, they clashed with Lon'qu's killer edge. Knoll saw what happened, stepped forward towards Dadlam, and did an uppercut on his chin. He flew a few feet before back flipping back to his feet. Zul got back up and charged at both Lon'qu and Knoll, but Gaius stepped in and parried both swords. Zul then kicked Gaius, and knocked over the three warriors over the force. With his enemies right on top of each other, Zul tried to end the fight by stabbing all of them in one go, but he felt a sharp pain in his foot, and saw Streaky biting on his leg. Zul kicked Streaky away. Only to see the three Shepherds comeback up and try to strike him. Zul jumped flip over them and repositioned to his brother.

"Brother, they are strong." Zul said.

"Yes, it's time to end this." Dadlam replied.

"Hey they stopped rhyming." Gaius noted.

"That only means their getting serious. Be on your guard, all of you." Lon'qu said.

Picking up the sword and lance he dropped, Knoll said, "Don't care, glad they stopped doing it."

"Let's use our combo attack." Zul then attached both of the handles of his blades and started spinning the double blade at a surprising speed. Dadlam did the same.

They locked their arms together and started swinging and spinning their bodies, it became so fast they had formed a large tornado of slashes.

"MOVE!" Lon'qu said and everyone barely avoided the attack. Knoll had his arm cut while avoiding it. "AHH, my arm!" It was cut up in several places, but thankfully it was actually skin scratches though it hurt a lot none the less. The tornado didn't stop however, and went back towards Lon'qu and Knoll.

Lon'qu looked closely at the spinning tornado; he looked to Knoll and quickly said, "Knoll!" with his free arm stretched out. Knoll immediately recognized what he was saying, and tossed him the iron sword.

Lon'qu stepped forward, closing his eyes and holding both blades tightly.

The tornado was about to make contact with him.

Gaius screamed, "What the hell are you doing!?"

Lon'qu breathed in and did a cross slash right at the tornado. Lon'qu had timed perfectly an almost impossible opening, his slash crossed over both Zul and Dadlam's chest and they flung their weapons and their bodies flew away, leaving a blood trail as they flew.

The Brothers of Death had died. (End song here if you want.)

Both blades, Lon'qu held, shattered and the mighty warrior was about to fall out of fatigue in using all his might in the last attack, but he was caught by Knoll.

"That was the coolest thing I ever saw!" Knoll helped up Lon'qu to be around his shoulder "Ahh ohh! My arm…". Gaius came over and carried him by the other shoulder. "You guys are Insane." Gaius said. "But hey, I'm a sucker for sweets. Though, maybe joining you guys might not be worth it." He joked.

Knoll answered back, "If the royal baker is alive, ask the guy to make you all the sweets you can handle."

"OK, it's worth it… How are the others doing?" Gaius asked this and suddenly a window went crashing and something landed right in front of the swordsmen: Falchion.

"I think worse than us… Gaius take care of Lon'qu; Streaky and I will give this back to Chrom." Knoll left holding up Lon'qu and took the blade; he and Streaky ran back up into the castle.

=Power group=

(Recommended: Two Steps From Hell – United we stand, Divided we fall.)

"I hope you'll do better than the last fight." Thayer said to both Vaike and Stahl.

"You caught Teach by surprise! That's not happening again!" Vaike said this and charged at Thayer. Thayer clashed his axe with Vaike's, but Thayer easily pushed back Vaike.

"Vaike don't be like that, it's obvious he is stronger than all three of us!" Chrom said.

"Haha! Give yourselves credit, most people die from one swing of my axe. This means I will enjoy this fight at least." Thayer charges at the three of them, they all dodge the brute, but he rams through another pillar.

Out of the dust, Thayer came out unscathed. He suddenly held out his arm and caught a javelin aimed right for his face. "I barely sensed you warrior, quite a skill you possess."

"Uh, who is he talking too?" Vaike whispered to Stahl.

Despite the sound of fighting going around they heard a voice say, "Guys it's me, Kellam. And to answer you, it's not a skill sadly."

"Kellam! Where are the others?" Chrom asked.

"I was separated from Virion and Frederick when we were attacked." Kellam replied.

"I don't fight un-armed men, here, this belongs to you!" Thayer threw the javelin back at Kellam; Kellam raised his shield to stop the fast moving javelin from hitting him. The javelin pierced the shield and was barely touching Kellam's face.

"Ha!" Chrom attacked Thayer with a jump slash. But Thayer blocked the attack with his axe. They clashed and stayed in place.

"Your Prince Corn, yes?" Thayer asked.

"It's Chrom."

"Regardless, I see you have legendary blade: Falchion. I always wanted to fight a man whose weapon will not break from my swings. HAUGH!" Thayer pushed back Chrom and he was sent flying into another pillar.

Stahl came in and attacked Thayer from behind, but when his blade made contact it only scratched his skin. Sthal looked in surprise and was backhanded by Thayer. "I trained my body to withstand the toughest steel! My only vulnerability is magic! Funny that only puny girl and little boy were mages."

"YAA!" Vaike now held a hammer and swung it hard towards Thayer, who clashed it with his broad axe. Vaike rolled away from the clash and avoided another swing from the giant. Vaike did this again several times.

"Hold still as I smash you!" Thayer screamed.

One last time Thayer swung his axe at Vaike, but this time Vaike held the hammer with both his hands and swung the hammer as hard as he could when meeting with the broad axe. When they clashed Thayer's broad axe shattered.

"*Huff huff* Ha! *Huff* That'll teach you to underestimate Teach!" Luckily for Vaike, Chrom's magic blade had chipped of a piece of the Broad axe, and Vaike's constant pressure on the axe eventually shattered the thing.

"I am un-armed… but I am still am dangerous!" Thayer grabbed Vaike and started crushing him.

Vaike started screaming in pain, but then a javelin stuck into the right arm of Thayer and he released an unconscious Vaike.

"Sorry about that, needed a new shield." Kellam and Stahl were getting ready to face the mighty giant.

Thayer charged at them, but with much more speed. He got in between the two and slammed his arm on both of their torsos. He sent them both flying to the wall.

"Haha! Good fight, friends, but this is my victory!" Thayer screamed.

"We're not done yet!"

Thayer looked behind him and saw Chrom get back on his feet and pull out Falchion.

"Face the music, friend! You all could not beat me four on one, what makes you think you can stop me?!"

"If I lose here, my sister dies… I'm not letting you anywhere near her." Chrom said.

"Heh, Chrom was it? I will remember the name." With the speed of a rhino, Thayer charged at Chrom. Chrom dodged the attack and slashed at his legs. This time however a clean cut was seen and Thayer cried out in pain. Chrom backed off and Thayer checked the blood at the back of his legs.

"Ahh right… Magic blade." Thayer said. He then jumped high and was going to attack Chrom from above. Chrom moved out of the way, but when Thayer landed, the entire hallway shook. There was also a mini crater where he just landed. Thayer wasn't going to relent on his attack; he started to attack Chrom with punches, which of whom was avoiding most of them. After one punch, Chrom rolled under Thayer and slashed the same place he hit a while ago. Thayer stood tall and backhanded Chrom, but missed and Chrom rolled away.

"I'm getting tired of your rolling around." Thayer said.

"Then don't be so tall." Chrom mentally slapped himself for spending too much time thinking about Knoll's so called banter.

With Thayer's movement hampered greatly, Chrom took this opportunity to once again jump and attack. Thayer clapped both his hands at the same time to stop Falchion from making contact. He punched Chrom back and threw Falchion out a window. Chrom got back up, and looked at Thayer. "I don't want only my legs hurt, warrior."

"Legs? Good idea."

When both of them looked behind Thayer, Vaike, Kellam, and Stahl were back up. Vaike ran up and slammed his hammer onto Thayers right leg, while the Kellam and Sthal attacked the other left leg. Thayner screamed in pain once more, but he swung his left arm at all of them. This time, all three of them stood their ground and caught the arm. Chrom ran up to Thayer, jumped and kicked him hard in the face, blood spewed out from Thayer's mouth, and the giant was about to fall. Vaike, Stahl and Kellam, released the hand and ran out of the way. Thayer fell with a thud, he also landed on his left arm, and the others heard a crunch when he landed.

"*Huff huff* Ha…HAHA! … Good fight comrades. It seems you win in this clash of fists and steel. You there, Chrom boy, protect your sister." He looks over to the others. "Tell me… what are your names?"

"The name's The Vaike!" Vaike said prudly, but instantly clutched himself because he was still in pain.

"I'm Kellam" Kellam said, his armor was all dented.

"And I'm Stahl." Stahl was bruised a little more than the others since he wasn't built as strong, but he was still able to stand.

"HAH- *Coughs blood* ha… I promise to never… forget those names…" Thayer closes his eyes and stops breathing, his blood loss the entire fight was enough to almost enough to fill two pools.

The Titan Thayer has fallen. (End Music)

"It's a shame he was our enemy, he seemed like a noble man." Chrom said clutching his stomach.

"Captain!"

The four looked over to see Knoll and Streaky with Falchion.

"Knoll, What happened to your arm?!" Stahl asked.

"Well… It hurts like crazy because of the last technique of the twins pulled off, but you guys seem worse off."

"What happened to Gaius and Lon'qu?" Chrom asked.

Knoll answered him, "They are behind, we all received some cuts from them, but Lon'qu proved to be the best swordsman ever! How did you beat him again?"

"Hey Guys, a little help?" Everyone looked over to see Gaius holding up Lon'qu; Stahl came over and helped him while Knoll gave Falchion back to Chrom.

Knoll looks at Thayer's body and says, "Three down, two assassins left."

Kellam asks, "Wait there are two more of these guys?!"

"Oh Kellam, didn't see you there, but yes, so far we only met four of the five assassins here. Though if we were all to meet number five right now we would probably be dead." Knoll said.

"Wait, Lucile is with one of them, we need to move to save her and my sister!" Chrom said.

"How? We all could barely walk, much less run." Stahl said. "We need healers."

"Hey where did Streaky run to?" Knoll asked.

"Chrom!"

Everyone looked over to see Lissa riding with Maribelle they were right behind Streaky. "Thank Naga we found you, we were running around aimlessly until Streaky came out of nowhere and lead us all to you." Lissa said. "You guys look terrible." She also noted.

"Lissa, Maribelle quick! We have to go after Lucile and Emm!" Chrom said.

After healing only half of the group, a sudden blast came from the ground floor below.

Knoll was in panic, "Wasn't that a magic blast?!"

=Magic group (with Donnel) =

(Audiomachine – Nameless Heroes)

Marvo chased after the main target: Emmeryn and the Emblem she held. To him only three people stood in his way for a successful mission, but he assumed only one of them truly posed a threat.

He followed them all down a stair way into the ground floor, or the closest thing to a basement in a castle. Despite the fighting going all around the castle, the ground floor was very dark and had pillars everywhere.

Marvo began to shout, "Well played tactician, I can't see you at all here, but if I were to try and destroy this place, the roof would collapse on me. A home field advantage, however, it's also too silent here. Despite the fighting going on outside, if you make too much noise, I will easily find all of you."

A bright light came over from Marvo's left side; he backed away and dodged a lightning bolt. "Two can play at this game…" Marvo switched his cloak and vanished into the darkness.

"Tch…" we find Lucile hiding after her initial attack failed; however, she was alone and the other three were nowhere to be seen.

=a little earlier=

"You want us to what?!" Ricken whispered but shouted at Lucile.

"You and Donnel have to get out of here with Lady Emmeryn." Lucile said.

"You all don't have to sacrifice yourselves for my sake; I don't want you to get hurt because of me." Emmeryn said.

"Yea, we'll kick that man behind till it shines red!" Donnel said.

"Look guys, this was the plan I could think of, we needed to fight to our fullest without risking Emmeryn's life, I paired up everyone who I calculated to be a good match against each assassin, I then lead the last one here to hold him off long enough for the others to finish their fight and meet up here. You two will have the most important job of protecting the Exalt. I need you both to look for Frederick and the others, or Phila and her knights. The darkness here will make it a long fight of hide and seek." She explained.

"Fine… but you be careful too, Lucile, we wouldn't know what to do without you." Donnel said.

"And I the same, I'm not throwing my life away; I have confidence in all of you, now go to the other exit upstairs!" They split up and Lucile hides behind one pillar waiting for Marvo.

"Oh wait, Donnel!" Lucile stopped them.

"What?"

=Back to the present=

Lucile snuck her way moving around the pillars, while making sure she wouldn't make too much noise. She then took out a rock, which Donnel gave her from one from his father's old collection, and threw it down the hall way. As soon as the rock landed, an ice blast came from another direction. Lucile quickly fired a lightning bolt where the ice blast came from, but it hit nothing. She then moved quickly away from her spot.

After a while of darkness again, Lucile slowly crept backwards, making sure she wasn't being followed until she hit something with her back that didn't feel like a wall or pillar.

Lucile immediately backed off and swung her blade, only to be parried by Marvo's fancy blade.

"Found you." He said. He pushed off her blade and did a vertical slash. Lucile sidestepped and tried to stab Marvo in the heart, but once more he parried. They both started a duel in the darkness where the only lights that appeared where the sparks from blades clashing.

Lucile dodged another slash she went in for another stab, and Marvo parried once more, but this time Lucile went up close and kneed Marvo in the stomach she followed it with a round house kick to Marvo's helm. Marvo fell to the ground, but instantly jumped back up, he removed his dented helm, to reveal, a bald man with tattoos all over the back of his head, and deep orange eyes.

Marvo spit out a tooth and said, "I don't regret taking this job after all…" This time he held his blade with both hands and went on the offensive. He charged at Lucile his attacks more vicious, Lucile was backing off and dodging his attacks, she then once more tried to roundhouse kick Marvo, but this time he caught her leg and threw her to a pillar.

When Lucile tried to get up she saw a blade pointed to her face. Marvo said, "Nice try, but you've failed." Suddenly a tremor shook the room. (This was when Thayer jumped and hammered the ground against Chrom.) Lucile took this opportunity to push away his blade with her own and did a flip kick on Marvo. Marvo staggered back and said, "Thayner… that fool, no I should thank him, guess I get to enjoy this fight a little longer…" Lucile re took her position in and prepared for another vicious attack from Marvo, until both of them heard someone enter the room.

"Oh, it's you." Marvo said.

The man that appeared had dark skin, held a dark tome, and had the clothes of the Grimleal.

"Validar right?" Marvo told him.

"You must be Marvo then, you do look ugly without your mask…" Validar said, then he looked over to Lucile and smiled creepily, "Well, well... Ha, ha ha! Oh, I know you... Submit to me, and perhaps I might honor you with the truth!"

"Back off she is my prey." Said Marvo, "Go look for that exalt or something"

"I have plans for this girl, Why don't _you_ look for the exalt that is what you were hired for."

"No, we were hired to assist you, nothing more, but we won't help you in your personal quest if it goes against ours." Marvo claimed.

"Miserable Mercenary! How dare you speak to me like that!" Validar shot an Elfire towards him. Marvo dodged it and took out his Hielo Tome.

"You're going to regret that…" Marvo said.

"Ladies, you're both pretty, but I'm just not interested in either of you." Lucile got out her Elthunder tome.

All three of them pointed their spells towards the center and yelled.

"Elthunder!"

"Elfire!"

"Hielo!"

The clash of magic, made a huge explosion that was heard throughout the fight.

(End Music)

* * *

"Wasn't that a magic blast?!" Knoll said.

"Everyone who is ready follow me! Maribelle stay here and heal the rest!" Chrom ran ahead with Knoll, Lon'qu, Vaike, Lissa, and Streaky.

* * *

"What happened in the castle?!" Philia said this as she, with the last of the Shepherds, was facing the last assassin.

"… Marvo…"

* * *

"What was that?!" Ricken felt the explosion.

"That sound like it came from the ground floor we left Lucile in!" Donnel said.

"We shouldn't have left her we need to go back." Emmeryn said.

Both boys nodded and the three of them went back to the recent explosion.

* * *

"… Look at how these man-spawn claw at each other like savages! I will repay my warren's debt and wash my hands of their race."

* * *

Chrom's group entered first, amidst the dark and dust, it was hard to find Lucile. "Where could she be? Lucile!" Chrom shouted.

Streaky barked and went into the smoke. Knoll pointed and said, "Follow that Wolf!" The group went into the dust storm.

From a broken window, a man wearing sleeker knight armor entered into the dust storm.

"Where did that Assassin go?" Phila looked around.

"He went in that dust cloud where that explosion came from, Captain Philia." Sumia said.

"I fear for milord and the others, let's go!" Frederick charged in followed by Phillia, Sumia, Miriel, Sully, Virion, and Fortuna.

From the staircase right after Chrom's group went in, Panne came in. "Just what is this? I should probably- this scent…" Panne transformed and went into the smoke.

Lastly we find the final group Donnel, Ricken and Emmeryn enter the room last.

"Golly, how do we find anyone here?" Donnel asked.

"I have an idea." Ricken took out his Elwind tome. "Elwind!"

All of the dust left the room and the next scene was pure surprise.

Immediately when the dust settled, everyone saw everyone, and they all pulled out their weapons and held it to each other's enemy. Chrom, Frederick, and Philia held their weapons against the Knight, who held twin crossbows pointed at them. Validar was ready to blast Marvo and Marvo the same, but Marvo had lance at his back by Sully, Sumia, and Fortuna. Validar had Lon'qu's blade facing his neck, Vaike's axe near his stretched out arm. Miriel and Virion were facing an odd rabbit beast. While lastly, Knoll tripped over a barely conscious Lucile with Streaky and Lissa almost looking down in shame.

The last Group simply stared at all of this.

"So… uh what's going on?" Knoll got back up and helped up Lucile.

"Marvo? Where is Zul, Dadlam, and Thayer?" the crossbow knight asked his comrade.

"We beat them." Lon'qu said, not taking his eyes of either Marvo or Validar.

"What?!" Marvo screamed, but he felt a poke from one of the lances.

"Easy there baldy, don't want to be a piece of cheese do you?" Sully said.

"That guy with the Grimleal clothes is Validar! If Streaky didn't wake up the entire castle, he would have killed Emmeryn and taken the emblem." Lucile said pointing at Validar.

"And I would have gotten away with too, if it weren't for you children and that dumb dog!" Validar said as he looked to Streaky and Knoll.

(Oh my Gawd, I made Validar do a Scooby-do reference… How badly is this world messed up?") Knoll thought in his mind.

"Does anyone else here notice the odd creature here in this room?" Virion said as he readied his bow. Knoll knew it was Panne, so he looked to Streaky and immediately thought of a somewhat good excuse.

"Hey wait that… uh, animal isn't here to harm- to us!" Knoll said.

Everyone, even Panne, looked surprised why Knoll said that.

"Uh, Streaky here isn't getting any bad vibes from h- I mean this creature?" (Please believe me.) Knoll said.

Streaky went in front of Panne and simply slept right between Miriel, Virion and Panne. Showing how he really didn't sense hostility from Panne. "Thank you, friend." Panne said and transformed back to her human-ish form.

"A Taugel? Quite far from home aren't you?" The Crossbow knight said.

"That is none of your business man-spawn!" Panne hissed at the final assassin.

The final assassin inspected his surrounding, and he heard more footsteps heading here. "Marvo, we are leaving, bring the one called Validar with us, the employer wanted us to keep him alive."

"Fine…" Marvo said.

"You're not going anywhere, Assassin!" Philia said.

"Don't worry, you killed our friends, we will return that debt tenfold." The Assassin kicked a sphere that looked like a bomb in the center of the room.

"! Take cover!" Lucile screamed and the bomb went off, a Flashbang. When the light died down Validar, Marvo, and the Assassin were gone.

"They got away…" Philia said.

"Let them go, we have to take care of the casualties here." Frederick said.

The fight was finally over, but there were some casualties by both sides, though on the Ylissean side was far less than the enemy.

The rest of the Shepherds went to help with clean up; Knoll and Streaky stayed for the cut scene after the level.

"I failed in my duty- they should have never made it into the castle in the first place."

"Uh, quick question, how did they get here?" Knoll asked.

"Here." Fortuna tossed an odd, blueish-green rock to Knoll. "The Assassin with Dual Crossbows, snuck in here early and destroyed our Distortion Rune." She explained.

"Uh, what is that again?"

Everyone in the room sighed, but Fortuna continued, "The Distortion Rune is a huge boulder placed in the castle grounds to prevent a large warping spell from entering here. The stone was destroyed by arrows the same as the Crossbow assassin held, and I am assuming the Ugly Sorcerer had prepared a giant warp spell to send everyone into the castle as soon as it was broken."

Knoll nodded understanding how it happened in game. He put the stone in his pocket.

The cut scene continued, excluding Chrom catching up with his daughter.

"All I ask is a chance to earn your trust." Emmeryn said ending the cut scene.

"Bark!" Streaky said.

"Looks like Streaky is glad you made that decision." Knoll commented.

"Ahh yes, I am now in debt to you as well, for preventing your friends from attacking me. I hope to repay both you and her one day." Panne bowed.

Knoll rubbed his head, "Oh it's not- STREAKY IS A GIRL!?"

* * *

… **Oh, you have no idea how many action movie fight scenes I had to watch to be inspired for this entire chapter. And even with all that, I still don't think it even translated properly from visuals to text.**

**Wow 6000 words in the span of two days... felt longer for some reason...**

**I had like a headache the entire time writing this and it hurt like crazy.**

**So how do you like the idea of the Distortion Stone, an anti- warping rock? **

**Hope you all liked the music I suggested for the fights, I think their epic! I'm a fan of Orchestral music like that.**

**So ends the corrupted version of Chapter Six: Foreseer. What will be in store for the Shepherds in the next chapter? **

**So I'm a bit tired so I'm ending these notes a little early. I still want to type more.**

**Thank you for your time and please review.**

* * *

=Elsewhere=

"Now Neptous…" Chronos was strangling Neptous. He had beaten all of the twisted spirit's minions and the spirit himself and was demanding answers. "You mentioned a spirit who was trying to restore the balance… Who is she?"

BANG!

A bullet hole appeared on the head of Neptous and his form slipped back into the water. Chronos went back to the land and saw were the shot came from.

The being's form was unseen, but a black gun was seen only for it to vanish.

Chronos witnessed the weapon fade. "An energy weapon?"

"Uh, uh Guardian… no spoilers." A voice appeared all around him.

"What did you do with Neptous, Interferer!?" Chronos screamed.

"Think of it as a hypno bullet. The _noble_ Neptous has simply returned to his work on the oceans and all water. Though, I may have robbed him of his conscious…"

"You fiend! What are you doing with this world?!" Chronos said.

"If I told you, you wouldn't be here, now would you?"

"We will stop you!" Chronos shouted.

"Do you really want to do that?"

Chronos hesitated but asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't remember the storyline of this world do you?"

"You're not tricking me into accessing my memories, you vile being!" Chronos defened

"I couldn't care less about your precious knowledge of the universe. However, once you learn the truth of this world, will you truly wish to save it?"

Chronos was getting annoyed "What are you going on about? I will fix this timeline no matter what!"

"Yes… I expect that answer from you… But will Knoll say the same thing?"

"Stop talking around it and bloody say it!" Chronos couldn't handle all of this.

"Oh Poor Guardian, oh Poor Restorer, fate has damned you both in this adventure. Sins that will crush your souls into nothingness, and bring me one step closer to… oops, almost said it during my monologue."

"I will enjoy banishing your existence to the most painful plane imaginable." Chronos said.

"Well, I have spent enough time taunting you Chronos, by now I already did what I needed to do… Oh one last thing, make sure Knoll won't commit suicide! HAHAHAHA!"

The voice died out and the area became too quiet, Chronos looked at his reflection on the lake and said, "Knoll, What did he mean by that?"


	10. Update 10

UPDATE # 10

SYSTEM RESTORATION RESTORED.

PROGRESS: ABOVE FAIR.

NO MAJOR CHANGES DETECTED.

RECALIBRATING USER CONNECTION.

MODE: OVERVEIW.

* * *

Unbelievable.

I still can't my head wrapped around it: Streaky is a girl. I mean, I didn't know the difference in genders. I feel like an idiot and a sexist now though.

=Flashback=

Knoll rubbed his head, "Oh it's not- STREAKY IS A GIRL!?"

Panne looked surprised, "Yes she is a female… you didn't know?"

"Well… I am not an animal expert… no I didn't…" Knoll hung his head down.

=End of Flashback=

I've never felt so bad in my life; thankfully, Panne said that she enjoyed the name Streaky and wished to continue being called that. When I asked Panne where she came from, Panne said, "It's a secret."

Now I have a translator for Streaky, but she won't tell me anything… Panne says that Streaky is unusually sentient; she is smarter than most other animals and even some of her old people, which makes me even more curious about her.

But back to the physical world, I'm helping move weapons and inventory into a caravan. After the disastrous fight here in the castle, we decided to go with the plan to move Emmeryn to the eastern castle. Despite the snide and joking comments saying how I jinxed the plan, No one opposed the idea when Lucile mentioned it. (Cruel dastards.)

+_What happened here?_+

(Chronos?! Where the heck where you? I almost died several times last night!)

+_Really? I didn't know, I was… following a lead I had on the Interferer._+

(Dude, I had to deal with two rhyming clichéd assassins! I'm not letting this one go!)

"Knoll, I need you to help move some of the food and rations in the other caravan." Lucile called him over.

"On it!"

+_I actually met the Interferer… in a sense._+

(What you- wait… "In a sense?")

+_You know, evil guy taunting: "I know more than you do, Hahaha!" I found out he wasn't just messing with the dragons and humans here. He was messing with the architects of the world, the Spirits. I met with one named Neptous, the major Ocean spirit, he told me how the spirits were abandoning their posts and being more active within the war between mortals. Neptous then tried to devour me and attacked me._+

(So you were attacked too?)

+_Yes._+

(… You beat him up didn't you?)

+_Yes. It was in self defense, and I enjoyed it a little. It let me get a chance to let out some steam_+

(What problems do you have? I might never see my family and home again, because I might die in the next mission!)

+_I have to do my job of fixing the timeline while dealing with a far more powerful being who keeps taunting me and made me hunted by the spirits and Great Dragons of this world, not to mention, I have to work with a whinny little boy who is a walking disaster!_+

(…Point taken…)

+_Sorry for that… I'm just as frustrated as you Knoll. So far, the only lead I actually had of finding answers was taken away from me. We are, or I am, back to square one in finding out what The Interferer is doing in this world._+

(Well, this sucks.)

+_Actually I take that back, I think I do have one last lead… Neptous told me that there was one powerful Spirit trying to bring the others back to their jobs. Unfortunately, Neptous was incapacitated by the Interferer before I could find the identity of the Spirit._+

(Hey, that's something! Maybe I can keep an eye out for something like that, any clues about the mysterious spirit?)

+_As I said, no. Knoll, you know the story here right?_+

(Yes, it's a game from where I come from.)

+_Keep it in your mind, I want to see it…_+

(Chronos? What do you-)

"Hey Knoll are you done there? I could use some help connecting the horses to the caravans." Stahl asked.

"… Hey? What is with him?" Ricken was nearby.

They both walk over to him and notice his face frozen, while he is making a goofy face.

"Pfft… HAHA! Knoll, you are quite the jokester. You get back to work." Stahl said, but Knoll didn't say anything, he didn't even blink.

"Knoll, Are you ok?" Ricken and Stahl started to look concern, what was going on with their friend?

"GGGGAAAARRRRGGGG!" Knoll suddenly snapped out of it and screamed.

"AAAAHHHH!" Both Ricken and Stahl cringed back.

"Uh… sorry guys, I was in a bit of a daze…" Knoll said.

Both of the two relaxed and Stahl said, "Just help us over here and then we will start getting ready for the trip."

"Y-yeah sure…" Knoll followed them.

(Chronos what the Flip?! What did you do?!)

+_I needed to see what the story in your world was, so I looked into that part of your memories. Right now, this man is supposed to betray us and Emmeryn turns herself in… Hmm, you're almost at the end of the first war, what are you going to do at the span of two years?_+

(First thing first, I have to survive that long… Oh right, Emmeryn is going to die soon… And Chrom wanted me to play a song- Wait a sec!)

"Guys! Where is the Shepherd's convoy again?" I ask.

+_Knoll?_+

"Alright thanks! Be right back!" I then ran over to our convoy, I searched for a while and I found what I was looking for- my old guitar, still unscratched.

+_What is that?_+

(Chronos, if you hadn't yet, I need you to look into my memories for this journey so far.)

* * *

+_…_+

(Well?)

+_The unusual amount of Risen, the appearance of Streaky, the disappearance of Lucina, the breaking of the bridge, the exorcism of Lala, the early arrival at the long fort, the parallel of dynamites under the tournament, and lastly the appearance of the Forty Assassins. Those were all the major changes that were not in your game._+

(Let's also compare how I potentially saw the Interferer twice, on the way to Regna Ferox and in Nagon Rue. In those only two meetings, he helped me or hinted to warn me; despite that, he immediately tried to kill us at the tournament. His actions don't make any sense!)

+_Knoll, wait… Who is this Red Man?_+

(Wow, I forgot about him too- wait, he told me you sent him to help me with my social problems.)

+_Knoll, I don't have a subordinate, let alone a therapist. How did this being invade your dreams?! Besides Naga, the Interferer, and I (Grima is implied) how did this being get into your head?_+

(I-I don't know… but wait how are you sure he isn't the Interferer?)

+_He might be… might not. He is a shift shaper remember? Hmm… this, Red man, seems to be for saving this world, but he is definitely not on our side._+

(Concurred, I can't believe I trusted a guy with black eyes that screams evil!

…

Hey Chronos? Did you also happen to see the gold man in my dreams?)

+_Yes… I recognize the same symbol you're wearing, but I don't recognize his other one. However, I don't believe him to be the Interferer._+

(Why?)

+_I thought it was coincidence, but now I'm certain. Your symbols didn't form by chance, you were destined to represent it._+

(What do these symbols represent?)

+_I know that gold man is not the Interferer because of this symbol; it belonged to my best friend. The symbol you wear represents one of the most powerful elements in existence: Life._+

(Life?)

+_Life, in our old language life is the translation of all. Peace, war, hate, and love, you name it. Even death is a part of life._+

(That's all pretty cool, but I feel there is another reason why it's all over my arms… You know, come to think of it, despite the amount of cuts and tears I get on this tunic, when I get healed my clothes get restored too.)

+_You noticed this only now?_ _Your clothes are made from a specific fabric that can be healed by magic as well. While this universe did give you a lack of proper weapons, I think it balanced you out with more efficiency stats like your tunic._+

(So how does this auto balancing work?)

+_Ask the guardian of space when you get the chance. Now with that topic organized, let's move on to Streaky._+

"Hey! Knoll we have to go now! You're partnered with us for da march!" Donny called me over and Ricken and Maribelle were with him.

"Coming!" I take an iron lance and bring my guitar.

+_Back to your wolf, the recent events show how she seems to be mysteriously connected to each anomaly. I have reason to believe she as an agent of the Interferer._+

(What, but she saved my life countless times; how could you suspect her?!)

+_I'm going with the flow; I want to assume that the Interferer has a split personality, one where he is helping you, and one where he tries to kill you because of his actions in both helping and trying to kill you._+

(Great, all-powerful and insane, just like almost every villain in existence.)

+_I think Streaky was sent by the half that needs to help you. This isn't necessarily a good thing because we don't know how we fit into the plans of the Interferer. Streaky maybe influenced to help us into working under him._+

(But that doesn't explain why the Interferer is also trying to kill one of his subordinates.)

+_Knoll, first: nothing has ever stopped villains from sacrificing their subordinates. Two: the idea of split personality is our best THEORY. Right now, it's the only thing that seems to make sense to the Interferer's actions._+

(So… Streaky might be in the clear?)

+_Yes and no. Right now, she is our only lead in finding out about the Interferer and maybe, just maybe, finding out the spirit who is trying to fix this world. You need to do it quickly because I haven't detected Naga in quite a while; she might have some great plan to remove us or worse kill us._+

(Roger, Chronos.)

_+Alright that is all we can discuss for now. Keep an eye on Streaky and make sure to stick to the story. Make sure nothing tries to upset the story more than things already have._+

(I don't think I have power over things like that, but you right. I'll make sure nothing happens to us!)

* * *

…

Oh my-

You know what? I hate my life.

Guess what self? Remember when I said I'll make sure nothing happens to us?

IT HAPPENED.

NOTHING.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

We are now passing by the battlefield of chapter 7 and we are actually heading to the eastern castle called Castle Wasser.

No fight, no enemies, and no traitorous hierarch.

Actually, about that…

=Flashback=

"Uh… hey Captain?"

"Oh, Knoll, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your post?" Chrom asked.

"I just wanted to know: where is the Hierarch?"

Frederick said to me, "Did no one tell you? During the assassination attempt of the Exalt, Lord Fuyret was killed by the Crossbow Assassin. The Exalt was heartbroken to see her oldest advisor dead. May his soul find peace." He bowed his head in respect.

Chrom then looked at me, "Knoll are you OK? You suddenly look pale."

"Oh, its fine, I guess I'm just getting a little tired of walking. I'm going back to my post." I walk out of there with a disturbing feeling.

=End of flashback=

+_ I am an idiot! Knoll, you were right! I assumed that even though the Interferer was posing as a black marketer, he didn't pose a threat because of the weapons he was supplying, but I neglected the amount of money he had accumulated to pay for the death of the traitor beforehand!_+

(Chronos this is bad; If Gangrel is attacking right now, by the time Cordelia comes to warn us, Ylisse will have lost the war before we even get to fight!)

+_This leaves only one option; I'm going to force your group back with a fight. I'm going have to directly intervene to bring the story back into place, but note that this fight will be harder than the one in your game._+

(No choice Chronos, we can't let this happen! I think we are pretty OK to handle Risen, or Plegians.)

+_ Here goes… Good Luck!_+

*Rumble*

"Is this an earthquake?!" Ricken shakes.

The ground shakes violently around us. I understand how an earthquake can slow us down, but why did Chronos say a fight-

SCREEEEEEECCCCCCHHHHHHH!

If I ever get back to the grand hall, I am flipping all of those tables with every ounce of my somewhat-super strength!

"Everyone! Turn Back! Giant Scorpions!" some soldiers were screaming and running away.

Giant Scorpions?! Are these the ones that breathe fire in Morgan and Noire's support conversations?!

A fire blast explodes in the front of the group.

Oh you sunnuva-

(Chronos! You said nothing about Giant Fire-breathing Scorpions!)

+_You said you were all ready._+

(I didn't know you meant unstoppable forces of nature! I thought you were going to summon Risen!?)

+_I'm the guardian of time, not necromancy. These scorpions were hibernating underground, I just woke their internal clocks._+

"Shepherds! To arms! We need to distract the beasts, so the rest can escape with our equipment!" Lucile screamed and she was riding with Frederick.

"You want us to fight those things?!" I ask.

"Yes, either that or distract them! Hurry Up! Maribelle, go to Lon'qu's group and call them over. You guys are with us!" Ricken, Donny, and I run after Frederick and Lucile, when we get over a hill we see the chaos Chronos unleashed.

Want to know how big one of these things were? Alrighty then, imagine a truck (game wise or life size it doesn't matter) now double that size and multiply it by around thirty five, and that is how sincerely screwed over we are right now.

"How are we supposed to fight those things?!" Ricken screams.

"I don't know, aim for the eyes?!" I scream sarcastically.

"Good idea fair sir!" Virion says that out of nowhere and shoots an arrow right into the closest giant's right eye. It wails loudly in pain before turning its last eye towards us.

"I WAS KIDDING!" We all split up and avoid being roasted. I take out my lance and head toward the new blindside of the beast. When it spots me it breathes fire and I go right under it. There I stab my lance right under its belly, and it just makes a sound not even denting the exoskeleton.

After that fail, the Scorpion starts moving and instead of aiming for the skeleton, I aim for the limbs. I run up and stab one of its legs right in the joint. It screeches in pain, but I see a shadow over me-

Crap! I forgot about its stinger! Is the ground rotting where it just stung? Poison and Breathing Fire?! That is unfair on so many levels. I hide back under the body so I won't get hit by the stinger.

"Elwind!"

I look over to see Ricken blast magic on the creature, but it barely moves. I on the other hand have to plant my lance on the ground to prevent being blown away.

"Watch it!" I yell.

"I tried to help!" He protests.

"NO, I mean watch the tail!"

Ricken looks at it and barely avoids the stinger.

Suddenly, I see another Scorpion heading right towards the one I'm under. I run as fast as I can and avoid the first's stinger and get back to Ricken.

"Regroup!" I heard Chrom shout.

Every Shepherd regrouped to higher ground. As Ricken and I were going back up, I noticed the second Scorpion was attacking and eating the one we injured.

When we all regrouped, Lucile asked, "What is the status?"

"Their Exoskeleton is too thick; we can't pierce through it." Stahl said.

"Hitting their eyes only seemed to make them mad." Virion said.

"These scorpions are immune to high temperatures. They resisted Elfire without exertion." Miriel said.

"I think they are hungry." I say.

Everyone looks weirdly at me.

"Knoll, why do you say that?" Frederick asked.

"Because I just saw one of the Scorpions attack and devour the one Virion and I damaged a while back."

"Wait how did you injure it? It has a tough Exoskeleton top and bottom." Gaius asked.

"I aimed for the joints between one of its legs, though it almost got me stung." I say.

"But why would they eat each other?" Asked Lissa.

"Hey! Take a look down there!" Donny pointed below us were we left the giant monsters, the half that was farther away from us looked like they were fighting each other and eating each other.

*Howl*

"Oh, there you are Streaky." I look over to see Streaky with Panne.

"I'm not sure if it applies to these beasts, but when an animal comes out of sleep or hibernation, we always search for food, and sometimes more savage animals eat each other." Panne tells us.

"How do you suggest we deal with the ones after us?" Maribelle asked.

+_Knoll I forgot to mention, they have a soft spot right between their tail and exoskeleton. If you hit it, their poison will leak out and soften their armor._+

(Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!)

+_You seemed very upset._+

"… *Sigh* Hey, I think while I was dodging one of the stingers up close, I noticed a soft spot right between the body armor and the tail, it looked exposed compared to the rest of the body." I say out loud.

"Virion? Can you see something like that from up here?" Lucile asked.

"It's hard to say…"

"Sumia, give Virion a lift. Virion, try and see if this spot really is a soft spot." Lucile said.

Screech!

"Blast, two of them are on their way here!" Sully said.

All of us got ready to fight until two arrows dug behind the Scorpions and they screeched in pain. Their venom started to leak outward and rotted their entire back.

"Knoll! Good job! That was way more effective than we thought!" Chrom said.

"What kind of sound are they making?" Lon'qu quickly asked.

The melting scorpions were making an odd sound along with the hissing from the poison melting their bodies, a form of tick tock sound from a clock.

"Everyone! The last of the scorpions are heading over here!" Sumia cried from above.

"Uh oh, was that some kind of call for help? From a species that eats each other?!" I complain.

"Everyone retreat!" Chrom yelled.

"Virion! Sumia! Cover fire!" Lucile yelled as she ran.

A good number of twelve were all charging at us and one by one Virion kept picking off the ones closest to reaching us.

Despite his best efforts, three were left right on us.

"Engage now, these are the last ones!" Chrom said.

Virion tried to aim one more time, but one of the scorpions breathed fire, and forced Sumia to move and Virion to miss his shot. His arrow dug into a leg of the scorpion I was facing.

(Hey Chronos? Remember how you said I have some super strength?)

+_Where are you going with this?_+

(How high can I leap?)

+_Don't try it; they might get suspicious about you if you were to do that! But, I have an idea how to hide it. Listen carefully._+

Hmm… crazy enough to work, alright let's do this!

"Hey Teach! I have a favor to ask!"

Teach and I run towards the scorpion with an arrow on its leg. It breathes fire, but we avoid it. Teach runs ahead then turns around and faces me. I run towards him and he gets into an assist stance.

The scorpion tries to bash both of us with its claws, but Sully and Kellam throw a javelin between a joint. It stopped the claw and distracted the Beast.

I jump on to Teach's hand, he throws me above and I throw my lance right for the soft spot. Yes! Bull's-eye!

It hit, but before the poison truly melts the beast, its stinger heads straight towards me!

"KNOLL!" Vaike yells.

Out of nowhere a javelin from above stops the tail from making contact.

I fall down to the ground and the scorpion melts to his own poison.

"Is that… gods, Cordelia?!" Phila? Where we she and her knights when we were fighting these blasted monsters?!

Oh wait, that is all of them right now isn't it?

"Everyone move out of the way!" Lucile commanded.

Everyone ran away quickly as all of the knights launched a volley of javelin right at the last two Scorpions. Some of them hit the right weak spot and the last of the giant scorpions melted away.

* * *

"More Plegians are coming, not a half day's march behind you!"

(Here is the cut scene… We had to bite the bullet for this one.)

+_Yes those poor scorpions now there is only two of these clans in the whole world._+

(Next time, tell me what you're going to do before unleashing monsters on us!)

+_You said you were ready._+

(For something around our size, yes!)

+_Hey… Emmeryn is saying her goodbyes…_+

(… Sunnuva- I never got to play that song Chrom wanted me to play.)

"Dry your tears, love this is not good bye." Emmeryn tells Lissa.

(Chronos… isn't there anything we can do?)

+_Who knows how the fates play? In one world or another, the most beautiful of beings are the ones that die an undeserving death, but willing embraces it. Her wish however, will never fade as long as you keep the memories close to your heart._+

(Still… It really isn't fair.)

+_Existence is everything, even the worst. It is true that peace may never truly last, but the same can be said of despair and war. The world at times can be twisted, at times it is wondrous, but above all else it is a balance. Because of this balance, we get to enjoy our lives to the fullest, through ill or well. However, only you can decide your own ideas _and_ views._+

"Fortuna! Report!" Philia shouts.

"Yes Commander Phila!" Fortuna salutes.

"Both you and Cordelia are staying with Chrom."

The two Pegasus knights say, "But, Captain-"

"This is how it must be. Your knight sister will be with you in both spirit and life, wherever you go."

They remain silent, but say. "As you command, Captain. We will pray for your safety."

Chrom then continues on about how they all need her, but to no avail.

Emmeryn and the Knights then leave us. We now have to trek all the way to Regna Ferox.

Everyone is silent… compared to the usual liveliness of this group, it really feels like we died inside.

Streaky comes over to my leg and we all just watch them leave, and never come back.

=Elsewhere=

"There is a man collapsed on the ground!" A woman said.

"Stop the carriage! Give treatment to his wounds now!" A man nearby said.

The collapsed man was breathing heavily, "…Where…I…?"

"You are in Chon'sin's border good sir. What happened to you?" the woman asked.

"Say'ri, he is out cold we need to get him medical attention."

"Yes Brother. Isn't this symbol he wears on his tunic, the same as Naga's symbol?"

"A question for another time sister, He still need attention."

Both Yen'fay and Say'ri bring the man towards the small nation.

* * *

**Sorry I had to end this chapter a little early than most of my usual length. I have other plans this summer and maybe regaining points in League of Legends… Heheh. A bit lack luster for my tenth chapter, I kinda wanted to do something big, oh well.**

**The Interferer Strikes again! He had hired the assassins a side mission of killing the Traitor before his appointed time, forcing Chronos to intervene. However, because of Chronos' intervention, another anomaly has appeared.**

**Oh and no one wins when Chronos intervenes -_-**

**You know an odd thing about this fire emblem that was different from the others was that this one lacked a triangle attack. **

**For those who haven't played the previous games, a triangle attack is when you position three of the same exact class (mostly three Pegasus knights) right around an enemy unit and if one of those three units attacks they get a guaranteed critical hit. **

**So I'm gunna try and bring that back here with my Character Fortuna, along with Sumia, and Cordelia!**

**Wait as sec…**

**PhiliA**

**CordeliA**

**SumiA**

**CynthiA**

**(?) SeverA (Doesn't she become a knight in the future of despair dlc?) **

**Wow, all the Pegasus knights characters have an "ia" in them, so my character was also a part of this because her name also ends with an "A". I didn't know that till now. If only I thought of a name that ends with "IA"**

**Streaky's identity is finally brought into question as Chronos takes a look at her. Is she really an Agent of the Interfer? Or is there something more than the theories the two have? What of the mysterious Guitar Knoll keeps? What secret and destiny does it hold? (Also note, Knoll had the guitar the entire fight sequence.)**

**Lastly who is that man who ended up in Chon'sin? And how much can the Interferer change the timeline?**

**All pieces will eventually fall into place, but where will they fall to?**

**Find out next time on-**

**Wait, already did that.**

**Never mind.**

**So thank you for your time and Please review.**


	11. Update 11

UPDATE# 11

PROGRESS: FAIR

ENROUTE TO: Regna Ferox

CORRUPTION OF FILE: UNKNOWN.

ACTIVATING SUB HEALING INTERFACE…

MODE: OVERVIEW.

* * *

…

….

…..

OK, even the quiet in my head is depressing. We just left Emmeryn's group and we are now on our way to Regna Ferox. So far we have been walking for almost two days straight, and I am getting tired of it. I could almost feel myself…losing-

After a that I think I hear voices, but I can't really control my body.

"Hey Loony, wake up." Wha? Gaius?

"Five more minutes, Supreme Overlord." What letters are forming from my speaking hole?

"… Never heard that before." I believe I have given reason to the title Gaius has bestowed me- why am I thinking like this?! Move body! Oww, wait no, can't.

"Ooh! Let me Try!" Lissa? Why does everything hurt all of sudden?

I think I hear Donny "Is he supposed to turn purple?" Can I sing like Barney the Dinosaur now?

"Princess, I think you're killing him." The pain stopped and now I can finally see shapes.

"Oh… what happened? And why does my chest hurt so much? And why is there a giant mantis wearing a polka dot dress behind you?"

"Breathe Loony, Princess here tried to wake you up by closing your nose, though it almost had the opposite effect." Gaius said.

"Well sorry, you collapsed on our way to Regna Ferox, we are in a nearby town. Lucile said we were drained and should rest here for the night." Lissa continued.

"So, what's the name of this town?" I ask, head still groggy.

"How do we pronounce it? It's a border town a little far from the road. Here, there is a name sewn to this pillow." Lissa showed me a pillow.

On the pillow it had there, "Lem Ttrees Inn"

"Lem Teress?" I say.

"Don't try Loony; we all gave up trying to pronounce this name." Loony? Why is that my nick- … Oh snap, it does fit me.

"Well after that rest, I should probably explore town, did you guys already go?" I get up from the nice soft bed. Wait- a nice soft bed, the thing I have been dreaming of since who knows how long?! Bah, I will be here tonight anyway. I mean, it's not like I'm going to stay up late for some ungodly reason.

(Force from beyond= "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!")

"I never got to see the shops around here. Maybe I can find something pretty for Streaky to wear." Lissa smiled.

"I don't think you should treat Streaky like a doll." I tell Lissa as we walk out of the inn. "So where are the others? I didn't see any of them on our way out."

"There around this town. You know Knoll, this town is really amazing! This town is a place where people called inventors gather around and show of their creations. In the inn we entered earlier, we had to use a quill that didn't have an ink dispenser, but it still wrote and the ink wouldn't run out!" Lissa said.

A pen? "What was it called?" I asked.

"It was called a pen; you just press a button on the top and out comes the point on where you write. There are a lot of those weird and cool inventions around town." Gaius commented.

Wow a little place that may be close to home. Cool.

As we walk around, I notice the buildings are all two foot story stone buildings with roofs

"Hey! Is that Anna over yonder?" Donny pointed to Anna talking to a vendor.

"Hey! Anna!" I say, and she looks over to our direction.

"Oh Knoll, your awake. Hey everyone, this is my one of my cousins, Anna."

Oddly enough, this Anna was a blond; she wore clothes similar to our Anna, but a steam punk version? She wore goggles over her head, and she seemed a little dirty.

"Hi! You must be with the army my cousin here has been talking about." She said. "May I interest you into buying this lovely pocket watch? Finely crafted and guaranteed to work for ten years even if you drop it into water!"

"Sounds interesting, but do you have any other wares?" I say.

Both of them giggle and smile darkly.

"Well Knoll, we will be checking the other stores out! Bye!" Lissa, along with Donny and Gaius, quickly run from me. Even Streaky runs after them.

What did I say?

I get grabbed in the collar and shoved into the store.

"Allow me to show you my _entire_ inventory…" the blond Anna said.

What did I get myself into?

* * *

Zeroes... The zeroes! Oh gosh, how long was I in there? I feel as if I had witnessed the entire secrets of the universe and I was too stupid to understand any of it.

For some odd reason there is an odd device in my hand.

I reorganize my head and find out I'm back outside the shop with both Anna(s).

"Thank you for buying!" The Blond one said. The red Anna said her goodbyes and walked up to me.

"Hey? You in there?" Our Anna asked.

"… What's this in my hand?" odd it almost looks like a-

"My cousin calls it an audio journal. It's a machine that can record voices if you press and hold that button with a circle on it, the triangle allows you to hear the recorded message, the square means to stop the recording, the two lines are to pause the recording if you want to hear the rest later, and the double triangles are the rewind and forward, and the left being rewind and the right ones being forward. Get it?" Anna explains to me the things I already know, but…

"How does this work?" I know batteries weren't made, and how does this thing store memory?

"Weren't you listening?" She said. "It's made from a concentrated magic dust for wind tomes that trap in the air of your voice and play it back all over."

"You mean its magic?" So is this like a form of magi-science here in a Fire Emblem world?

"Yes, isn't that why you bought it?" She asks.

"Wait a sec, how did I have enough money?!" I look into my pockets, "I haven't even been paid-"

I reached out an empty bag that had a note saying, "_Here is your money, Loony. You might wake up late, so I left this in your pocket."_

So somehow, Anna is such a good saleswoman she can bargain people out money they didn't know they even had, and I was unfortunately that person.

Am I some kind of butt to a cosmic joke or something?

"We all got our gold bags today. Didn't Gaius give you yours?" Anna says.

"Never mind." I say. I look over to see a large group near the town center. "Hey what's that?"

Anna and I walk over and we spot Stahl, Lon'qu, and Miriel. "Guys! What's going on here?" I ask.

"Oh, you're awake Knoll." Stahl said. "The mayor of this town, Sonedi, wants to invite everyone to his greatest invention in front of town hall tomorrow. He is giving a preview of it through a show and lecture."

I walk in and I see the mayor. He is dressed Steampunk like all the other vendors and people in this town.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Tourists and Fellow Inventors! I am Sonedi Samtho, the mayor of this lovely little town, and I would like to show you all a simply marvelous invention! Now when we think of the idea of flying, we imagine Pegasi, Wyverns, and sometimes Dragons, but the thing is that most of these creatures are for the strong warriors, and we workers and civilians have always wanted to see the world in a completely new view or perspective."

He stepped off his stand and started walking in a slow and theatrical manner. "Now I know what you're all thinking: couldn't we simply ride one of these creatures? Well to show some examples why this is more of a hassle than a simple matter, we happened to find three lovely lady Pegasus Knights who have helped me volunteer for this experiment."

Out of the crowd came three familiar faces, the three that came out was Sumia, Cordelia, and Fortuna all of them blushing and waving at the applause of the crowd.

Sonedi then silenced the audience by putting his hands down in a "keep it down" way. He walked over and asked the Cordelia, "So my lady, Can simply anyone ride a Pegasus?"

Cordelia stuttered a little before saying something, "Unfortunately no, you can't simply ride a Pegasus. It takes years of practicing your balance and shifting your weight properly to be able to maneuver around in the sky, and not to mention you need to build trust with your partnered Pegasus."

Sonedi then said, "That and probably all Pegasi have a soft spot for such beautiful ladies! Give them all another round of applause folks!" I found myself clapping loud with the rest of the group; Sonedi really seemed to know how to please a crowd. He then spoke again.

"Now I can't speak for wyvern riders, but I can put my opinion out there when I say, I get intimidated by those creatures. It's scary enough to look at them, and somehow you have to ride those creatures? No thank you, I'll take my chances dressing up as a girl and trying to fool a Pegasus."

The crowd laughed; OK when someone makes me laugh, I automatically like that person.

"Now it's time to get to the point because no one here has seen a dragon. (Knoll: (Yet)) OK, so flying is unfortunately more of an art of war right now more than anything else. My invention will change that, and give the ability of flight to the common man! Think of the possibilities! Worlds where we can travel distances in a matter of moments, meet over with other people beyond the seas, and even behold the heavens from above! Ladies and Gentlemen…"

Sonedi walks over to a big object covered by a sheet.

"I give you-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A sudden voice comes from almost nowhere, and disrupts the moment.

Wait… why did I? …

"Guards, silence the poor man." Sonedi told his guards.

Sonedi then addressed the audience, "I sincerely apologize for that everyone, or community has recently lost a valued member: Letas Twirgh. He and his brother were working on an invention and it went all horribly wrong. Their house shot up in flames and poor Alkoni Twirgh was traumatized by that incident and the loss of his brother. Please forgive the poor child; he has been through so much."

Everyone murmurs around.

"Well- uh, let me show you what I was about to unveil. The mood is gone, but I would like to show you all none the less. Behold! I give you the Da Vinci!"

I was surprised with the name and even more surprised with the machine; it actually was something based off Da Vinci's design on his flying machines in my world, the odd cone spiral one. His looked like a steampunk version of the machine.

Everyone, even I, ooed and aahed at the creation.

"I'm sure you would all like to see a test run of this wondrous machine wouldn't you?" Sonedi asks, and the crowd goes wild.

"Unfortunately I can't" The crowd becomes disappointed.

"Don't blame me folks, blame the weather!" He points up, and I realize that it is unusually cloudy; it actually looks like a storm is going to happen soon. No sooner did I notice this, a gust of wind came into the city.

"My assistant, good friend, and Famous meteorologist Fred Lamthigy, will explain why I cannot pilot under these conditions." Fred comes over and simply talks.

"Now this is all safety percussions people, the weather indicates a thunder storm for the night. We can't have our good mayor crash under these violent winds. The storm going to last the whole night, but it should end early dawn. We actually don't recommend any of you fine folks leaving just yet." Fred tells us.

Sonedi comes in, "But it's alright folks! Since no one can ignore a poor soul, we offer you all to stay within all our available inns for half the price!"

A random man from the crowd screams, "Why not free?"

Sonedi laughs and says, "We also need money too, so we can continue making our wonderful creations. Good night everyone! I will begin this exhibition early in the morning when the thunder storm stops."

The crowd dissipates, and when they leave I saw all of the Shepherds left in the plaza.

"Hey Captain!" I yell over to Chrom, everyone else looks in my direction.

We all meet up in the center.

"Hey girls, you were wonderful out there!" Vaike teases.

"I must admit that was rather embarrassing, but Mayor Sonedi made us feel quite comfortable." Cordelia said.

"I was a little afraid I would trip." Sumia said.

"I rather enjoyed the applause." Fortuna said.

"So Chrom? Are we staying here for the night?" Lucile asked.

"… I'd like to get to Regna Ferox as soon as possible, but the weather is becoming worse now. We will have to take the mayor's offer and stay in the inns for the night." Chrom declares.

So all of us head back to the Inn, Streaky reunites with me as we walk back, but I can't shake this feeling when I heard Alkoni. I felt as if… he wasn't traumatized, but rather felt… betrayed… It's really bothering me.

* * *

We are all back in the inn and enjoying the food and services, everyone is on the bottom floor simply relaxing and socializing. I on the other hand, am sneaking an iron sword and a lock pick. I can't believe I'm going out on a thunder storm, but thankfully it's not raining.

I really hope this isn't a crazy gut feeling I have.

I open the window, and Streaky looks at me weirdly.

"Sorry girl, need to clear my mind. Please don't tell Panne or the others." I exit trough the window.

I get ready and leap to another rooftop of a building, and one…two-!

Whoa! I did it! I need to work on my landing, but apparently I can leap normal buildings in a single bound.

The roof tops are dark and it's all very windy, not to mention the thunder and lightning keeps coming…

Hey, wait a sec…

Screw it I'm doing it; I may never have another chance ever!

I leap on to the next building. It's a good thing I'm alone and no one is watching me right now or this would be so embarrassing.

I jump to the next one and say, "I am vengeance!" *Boom!*

The next one, "I am the night!"

I head up to the tallest looking building and pose. "I AM BATMAN!"

*BOOM!*

OH MY GERSH!

I DID IT! I Lived the Dream (Again)!

The wind blew my cloak, and lightning and thunder struck after I said it. In that one moment, I became Batman… I promised myself I wouldn't cry…

"Who is Batman?"

Oh my Morgan Freeman!? "Gaius? What are you doing here?!"

"I was about to ask you the same question." He said.

I inhale and exhale. "I needed to clear my mind. You know that man, Alkoni? I just have this odd feeling in my chest that he is innocent. I know it's stupid, but I want to free him and hear his side of the story."

"That is stupid. You're releasing a lunatic because of a gut feeling?" Gaius says.

"I- it's just… It almost sounded like he was calling for help." So much for that now.

"… Alright Loony, lead the way." Thunder strikes again.

"I'm sorry what? Why?!"

"Well, personal experience, I always had to rely on my gut to survive. And another thing, my gut told me to be suspicious of the mayor, something about him felt off when I first saw him." Gaius said. "But looky here, do you think we really want to risk unleashing a lunatic on this lovely city?"

"… Trust and forgive…" I remember the words of the gold man.

"Excuse me?" Gaius asks.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to trust my instinct on this one."

Gaius joked, "Alright then, if this blow up in our face I'm blaming you."

"Aww…" He and I head over to the building where we heard the yell.

We sneak in an open window and lurk around. Every time a guard on patrol comes our way, Gaius hints to me to hide on the roof beams. Thanks to my leaping ability, I'm able to keep up with Gaius. You know, now that I'm becoming more like a thief class, should I become an assassin and try out a bow or something?

"Hey Knoll?" Gauis whispers to me when we get back to the top beams after the like seventh patrol our way.

"What is it?" I whisper back.

"Isn't security tight here for just one guy who was traumatized?" Gaius had a good point.

"Come to think of it, shouldn't he be in a hospital treated by nurses, instead of a building guarded by soldiers?" I say.

"Come on, I think we're getting close" Gaius drops back down and I follow him.

We stop around the corner and see a cell door, a man in a straight jacket, and two soldiers guarding him.

"So what's the plan?" I ask.

"… Aren't you the one who always distracts people?" He comments sarcastically.

Sigh, "I'll see what I can do…" I spot a vase nearby in the corridor we are in. I motion Gaius to go above us, and he understands.

I put on my hood, and I take the vase and smash it on the floor.

The two guards come over to the corridor and spot me, "H-"

Before the two could complete the first word, Gaius leaps on both of them and knocks them both unconscious.

"Alright let's move." I say.

Soldiers walk in, "Blast! Alkoni Twirgh is gone! You there, tell sir Sonedi!"

* * *

"There that should do it…" I undo the lock on the straight jacket, and throw away the lock in a trashcan in this alley we were hidden in.

"You need to work on that." Gauis tells me. "You're too slow." Don't go all Sonic the Hedgehog on me; I hated that taunt in Brawl.

"To be fair, I only started picking locks this month." I tell him.

"Still too slow." Gaius says.

"… Why did you two help me?" Alkoni removed the jacket and looked at us with sad eyes.

"Gut feeling." We both look at each other, not expecting to say the same thing at the same time.

"Co-could you both take me to my ho- home?" he simply says.

We help him up and we get back to the street. He leads us to a burned down building a little outside of town; He stares at it for a while and the Thunder and Lightning only seem to get louder.

"Are you alright?" I finally ask, he turns around near tears.

"My brother and me (I'm no expert, but me doesn't go there.) were inventors and one day we had the inspiration to create a flying machine."

"Hold up you and your brother invented that machine?" Gaius interrupted.

"Yes…" he inhales and tells us what happened. "After Letas and me (Cringe) made the blue print, we went to the mayor to have it patented, but instead he wanted to buy ownership of the idea from us. We refused, and simply decided to save up and build the project our selves, which we were able to do. Later that night, I heard noise I woke up to find our home on fire. I tried to run out, but a very scary looking Sorcerer appeared."

"Aren't all Sorcerers scary?" I ask.

"Yea but this one didn't have a tome; he had a scary looking lance!" Alkoni says.

Lance? Odd…

Alkoni continues on, "The Sorcerer was setting our house on fire. My brother came out and tackled the arsonist before he could attack me, but they both ran through a pillar and the weight of the broken building collapsed on us."

Thunder strikes once more after a lighting.

"When I woke up, I found myself under the ruble… I pushed myself out and I saw the mayor. I called out his name, and he suddenly looked surprised at me. Before I could reach him, I felt a pain in my back. I fell over and saw the arsonist right above me before I lost consciousness I saw the mayor talking to the arsonist…"

"He was in cahoots with the arsonist?!" I say

"…Cahoots?" Gaius asks.

"Err- please continue Alkoni."

"… When I woke up again, I found myself tied to a chair. The mayor came out and immediately asked me what the combination to our safe was. I was surprised and asked what was going on, but I was hit by the arsonist. I finally realized what was happening; Sonedi burned down our house to steal our plans for the Da Vinci. He blackmailed me; if I didn't tell him the combination of our fireproof safe, he said I would never see my brother again. When I gave him the code- Oh gods… Letas…" Alkoni was crying and sobbing, but he tried to continue. "They showed me Letas and when I went to him he was already dead. They said that he died under the collapse in the building and just pretended he was alive to blackmail me. When I tried to run away, I was stopped by the arsonist. He asked the mayor if he would kill me, but he didn't."

"Why?" Gaius asked.

"The mayor said it won't work if I didn't die by the fire. An accident can be explained, but a hole through his chest? That was a sign of murder, and he didn't want anyone to be suspicious. He then came up with the idea to say I was delirious and crazy and locked me away in that cell you both found me in. I was betrayed, and heartbroken… I just stared blankly as if I really was crazy and delirious. I was in a state of shock until I overheard the mayor giving a speech of newest invention earlier today. Something in me snapped, and I screamed as loud as I could. Maybe! Maybe you two can help me! Please do something!"

"Don't worry, that dastard will not get away with this!" I say with a clenched fist.

"How?" Gaius breaks the moment. "It's the mayor's word against a lunatic's, and you saw the mayor, he knows how to appeal to a crowd."

Darn if only we had some kind of proof… wait a sec…

"Hey Alkoni? You and your brother made the blue prints right?"

"What? Yes it took us a month to come up with the right angles and structures that would work properly."

"How long would it take to make a copy of it?" I say.

Alkoni is still confused, but answers, "Even if he has it, it would take a good four days to copy all of the complex details and equations we did for it."

Gaius asks, "Loony, where are you going with this?"

I ignore that and continue asking questions, "How long has he had it?"

"Actually, the machine you all saw was our invention. It was a prototype before we showed the official blue prints to Sonedi. I think it was stolen before our house was set on fire, and this all happened two days ago, so he hasn't had enough time to-… make a copy? Where are you going with this?" Alkoni asked.

"Alkoni…" I put my hand on his shoulder and face him, "For this plan to work, I need you to answer this last question… Did you and your brother sign your blue prints?"

Both Gaius and Alkoni finally get the method to my madness.

"Y-yes! We were so proud of our work, we wrote both of our signatures right in the middle of the blue prints, it's crammed in with all the other notes and equations, but it can be plainly seen if you show it to someone."

"Then that's our plan! Gaius and I will sneak in and steal the blue prints back! When everyone sees who really made it, the mayor will be exposed!"

"I gotta admit Loony that sounds like something Lucile would come up with."Gaius compliments me. "Though with you saying it, it might be worse than it sounds." You just can't let me have that sense of accomplishment, can you?

"Well… do you have a better idea?"

"Nope, let's just go with your suicidal plan." He smiles.

"OK I get it, my plans are just screwed over because the forces beyond don't like me. Please don't add salt to the wound."

* * *

We left Alkoni to hide near his house; he said he wanted to find something in the ruble. He also figured he would slow the both of us down.

Gaius and I (finally) are jumping on the rooftops and heading to town center/ city hall.

We stop at a house and sneak over to look at town hall. There are a lot more guards than there were awhile ago. "They probably are on guard now that Alkoni escaped." I say.

"Hmm, they are all on the ground though. I think we can still sneak in through the roof." Gaius jumped over and climbed into a window, this one was locked however.

We both climb a higher top and find a doorway into the building.

After sneaking in, we both find ourselves right above the main lobby. It looks almost like a museum to this town's great inventions. I even see an old model car somewhere nearby the main desk. Gaius grabs my collar and makes me hid behind a pillar.

"Someone is coming…" He whispered.

The footsteps that are coming over seem loud almost angry. A voice comes out in a loud boom.

"What do you mean he escaped!?"

I recognize the voice to be Sonedi's.

"Did you fools at least see who broke him out of there!?"

A soldier says, "The guards said that they saw one man, but he had his hood on and had his back facing toward them. They don't know."

A new voice is heard. "That means there isn't someone, but some people."

"Arson… You're still here?" the mayor says.

"I was given orders to stay here until I received the money. And as for your guards, it's obvious the hooded man was the distraction and another person knocked both guards. This means they are a team."

"How does that narrow things down?!" Sonedi screams.

"Those ladies you volunteered… Weren't they Shepherds?" This Arson asks.

"What about them? They are just a bunch of meat heads in a war."

"That's the thing, they are warriors. Warriors are the people who shape history, make legends, fight monsters and dragons, are favored by the gods, and become immortalized in history. Sometimes a warrior can tell if someone is a coward by one look. Chances are that a sharp warrior, or two, detected a lie within your "Show" this afternoon." Arson bangs something on the floor, it sounds like his lance.

"Why should you be afraid? You're Arson, The Lance of Fire! You're part of the Forty Assassins Syndicate!"

Oh crap an F.A.? Here?!

"Because these warriors are strong, they killed three of our best assassins. We underestimated them, a mistake you're making right now."

"It won't matter anyway! It's a lunatic's word against mine; they have no proof against me! I had their safe thrown into the river. That was their only evidence! And there was no personal signature on their Prototype flier."

Wait does Sonedi not know about the signature on the blue print?

Arson speaks again, "… What about their blue prints?"

Well now he knows.

"… I haven't checked that, but I still need the blue prints… I'll need to make a copy and burn the original."

"You do realize The Benefactor is investing on your success right?"

The Interferer? He has a hand in this?

"Yes yes, I' am quite aware of the man who rose in the underworld almost overnight. I'm also aware that he is helping fund some of my own "personal" experiments and that he expects to be paid back soon, which he will be, after I WOW the people with the Da Vinci. I'll go get the blue prints now in my office."

"Wait." Arson says.

"What?" Sonedi questions.

"... Something has been bothering me ever since I entered here…"

"Is this more about your Warrior sense?"

"Actually I just felt disturbed, but now that you mention it…"

BANG!

His lance hits the wall nearby from where Gaius and I are hiding. Before I could say anything, Gaius puts a hand over my mouth to prevent me from giving away our presence.

I look back to the lance, it's so shiny and clean, I can even see the dude's reflection- oh crud.

"Intruders!" Arson yells.

We both get out of the back of the pillar.

"Guards! Stop Them!" Sonedi runs away as his guards come in.

"Knoll, go after Sonedi!" Gaius tells me.

"What?! You can't beat an Assassin by yourself!"

"His lance is right here, and Sonedi is heading towards his office where we don't know where it is, I'll distract the guards and you get the Blue Prints!" Gaius takes out the lance and jumps down, he also wields his blade.

Whoa these guys can also use more than one type of weapon at the same time? I don't expect Gaius to actually use the spear well, but it looks intimidating nonetheless. I have to catch up with Sonedi.

I run after the direction he went. Thankfully he isn't that fast and I easily spot him.

"Why the heck would you steal from those people?!" I scream at him.

"You wouldn't understand! I deserve to be the best! I spent my whole life working to be the next big genius of the world! I'm not letting two clones of each other threaten my plan!"

Generic selfish dastard, I still want to beat the crap over his arrogant tushie.

"You ordered an arsonist to kill them!"

"SO?!"

This also applies with my world. Stupid people, what is so wrong with humility?

We turn at one last corner and I see a door labeled Sonedi's Office.

"HAHA! You're too late! I'll just lock myself in my off-"

I forgot to mention I was slowing down to talk to him right? Thank you unusually high speed stat.

I lock the door right on his face and I barricade it with his desk and his chair.

Alright if I was an arrogant needle point, where would I hide blue prints that don't belong to me?

I look around and see an odd and large painting of Sonedi's supposed good side. Oh, isn't there a secret safe behind these paintings?

Bingo!

Wait it's a safe, I don't think lock picks work on safes.

I forgot this type of technology here is a bit advance compared to other locks in this world.

*BANG BANG BANG!* "Open up punk!"

"Who is there?"

"Ignoramus! It's me Sonedi Samtho!"

"Ignoramusit'smeSonediSamtho who?"

"Open this door now!"

"That's not how it goes…" I should totally be looking for the blue prints instead of taunting a bad guy with a knock knock joke.

"That's it!" I hear him storm off that's not good.

How do you open up a safe?! I bet Gaius or Anna could figure this out… Ugh!

Screw it, time to see if my partial super strength will work.

*RIP* *Chuck* *Clang*

Woot! Worked! My fingers hurt like crazy, but worked all the same! There it is!

Now to get out of he-

*BANG!*

Oh what now?

"Let yourself out right now and you'll get to see your friend alive." Arson? Oh no Gaius!

"How will I know you keep your word?!" I need to distract him, I have an idea. I search all the drawers in the cabinets and desk.

"Do you really want to take that chance?!"

"Well, uh no, but at least let me hear his voice!" Come on come on! Just one will do!

"You are in no position to make commands!"

"I kind of doubt your word!" Ugh, why doesn't he have one here!?

"Then say goodbye to your friend."

Crap! Where- Aha! "OK! I'm coming out- just don't kill him."

I remove the barricade and open the door. Gaius is unconscious and is being dragged by Arson.

"Raise your arms in the air." He points the lance to my neck and I slowly raise both arms up.

"Get it from him." Arson motions to a guard who takes the blueprint out of my hands.

They then take out handcuffs and lock my hands behind me. They proceed to move us back into the lobby.

In the Lobby I see something unspeakable: a steam powered armor with blades, shields, and… Is that an arm cannon?! Something like that shouldn't definitely be in this world. It's a good thing Gaius is unconscious right now. Well for this thing, I still would prefer him to be awake right now.

I then notice the man wearing the mechanized suit, who speaks to me in annoyed manner. "You're already out?! And to think I wasted the surprise of my "Personal" project! But I'll show it off anyway. Behold Meat Sac! I give you the Iron Man!"

If you were in my world, you would totally get sued for copyright infringement.

"Meh."

He puts his arm cannon right in front of my face, despite being so close, I can't see inside it.

"I wish I could use it to blow up your face, but no… I won't, or more like I can't. You see, ignoramus, I was only going to use this to open up the office you locked yourself in. I can't kill you with it, yet because I can't hide this if they found out you died brutally to my machine. No no, I need to get rid of every last one of your pathetic cells… And I think I know how… MWAHAHAHA!" *Boom*

Oh snap, the evil clichéd thunder laugh.

On a more serious note, I don't like where this is going.

* * *

One cliché after another…

"In case you're wondering simpleton, the green smoking ooze right below you and your unconscious friend is called acid. Acid is a chemical that will melt everything, even your stupid last drop of blood in your body. I chained you both right side up because I want you to feel the burning pain of the acid until you lose your very existence! It's too bad your friend is still unconscious, but maybe he will wake up from the pain! HAHAHA! I'll be going now Neanderthals, I have a show to prepare for!" After his monologue, he left us alone and a crank slowly made us descend into the metal container filled with acid.

Thankfully, I watched/ read all of the old comics/ cartoons on how to get out of here. Unfortunately, I lack any skill to do any of the countless anti-death traps I have watched almost religiously.

OK, maybe I should at least try one because-

Is the door opening?

"Knoll, Gaius!"

"Alkoni?! How'd you get in here?"

"When I came here, I saw all of the guards run back inside. When I followed them, I saw Gaius fighting the arsonist that ruined my life. I was too scared and hid myself and watched the whole thing up to Gaius losing the spear and being knocked out by the arsonist. I also saw Sonedi in that monstrosity of an invention. I followed you all into here and I waited for Sonedi to leave." Alkoni went over and stopped the crank.

Wait, but… "What about the arsonist, he says he can sense warriors?"

"Uh, I have never held a weapon in my life much less use it." Alkoni said.

Wait does this mean he didn't sense Alkoni because he wasn't a warrior? Convenient, but I'm not complaining.

Alkoni helps us land on the ground, and we remove the chains tied on us; Gaius is still unconscious.

"Hey isn't it quiet?" Alknoi says this and I look out a bared drain in the room, the thunderstorm has stopped.

"Oh no, it's almost morning." I say.

"What are we going to do?" Alkoni starts panicking.

"Don't worry I have a few tricks left up my sleeve, but since Gaius is out cold, you have to be the one to fill in his shoes. Here is my plan…"

* * *

Sigh, maybe I should ask for help from one of the Shepherds. By now they are probably thinking: …Oh… Knoll's gone… Hey! Gaius is missing! Where did he go? (And what's his face.)

I really need to work on my self-confidence if that's what I think my friends see in me.

But this plan has me going against an Assassin _alone_, I just hope that Alkoni can get to me before I get killed, or Gaius waking up and helping me.

I walk back into the main lobby, I look to the windows and I see it's already dawn. I wonder how much time we have.

(=Recommended song: Two Steps From Hell- Black Blade=)

I hear footsteps coming from the right corridor. I look over and see Arson come alone with his lance.

"I don't know how you escaped… But I know that I can't let you leave here alive…"

"I have a question: What is the relationship between The Benefactor and the Forty Assassins?"

"I'm not telling you." He got his lance ready. I take out my sword and prepare for another crazy fight.

He charges at me with his lance, I duck, and try to knee him in the stomach, but I miss- Ooof! Ahh…

I think he hit the back of my head with his staff. Oh gosh a strong blow to the head… I feel dizzy- gotta focus…

* * *

OVERVEIW MOMENTARILY DISABLED.

* * *

Wobbling back up, Knoll stands to fight. Having a blow that has already impaired his senses, Knoll was put in a heavy disadvantage.

"I need to ask… Which one of you Shepherds killed Thayer the Titan?"

"What- what makes you think I'm a Shepherd?" Knoll then regains his senses and goes back into position.

"I looked up to him; he was an honorable man and taught me the will of a warrior! Then he was killed by the Shepherds. I know your one of them! Which dastard killed him so I can kill that man myself!?"

Knoll replied, "I don't know, I was fighting against the Brothers of Death, not Thayer."

"Then I'll force your friends to talk right after I show them your beheaded skull!"

Arson took out a tome and Knoll's eyes widen in surprise.

"FIRE!" He yelled, but not towards Knoll, he aimed right at the lance he was holding.

His lance was set ablaze, but the area around his hand wasn't. He put back his tome and used his free hand to touch the lance and the fire about to touch his hand and opened up. He was holding an actual lance of fire.

Knoll was shocked, "How…?"

"The Benefactor gave us all new weapons after the defeat of Thayer and the Twins. Powerful weapons with magic in them, if Thayer had one of these he would have killed you all!"

Arson charged at Knoll, Knoll ran and avoided the attack. Arson swung his spear, and Knoll ducked, but the spear cut through a bust of Sonedi and it melted, Knoll mentally noted it was like fighting against a Jedi's light saber.

For a while, Knoll could only avoid the attacks from the spear. The fight was one sided and Knoll couldn't land a hit unless being hit with the spear.

"Hold still!" After another failed stab, Arson quickly kicked Knoll and was knocked down on his back.

"Now this is the end for you!" Arson was about to deliver the final blow to Knoll.

(=End music=)

=Meanwhile at Town Square=

"Hello everyone and welcome back! I am here to show you all what the Da Vinci can do!" Sonedi addressed the crowd.

Within the crowd, all of the Shepherds were looking for their two missing members.

"Does anyone see them?" Chrom asked.

"I haven't seen both Gaius and Knoll since last night, where could they have gone?" Lucile asked.

Panne walked up to both of them. "Unfortunately, even Streaky does not know where her friend went."

Chrom tells her, "Keep looking I don't think they would both leave for no reason-"

BOOM!

Everyone looks to the town hall and saw what happened: a sorcerer was on the floor unconscious, bleeding, and nearby a cannonball. A hole was made in the wall of the beautiful building, dust was covering the hole. And out of the dust emerged a young adolescent holding a beautiful and shiny red spear.

"Knoll!?" Lissa looked in shock as did everyone else when they saw him.

Sonedi was in a state of panic when he saw Knoll, he was sure he had gotten rid of him and his friend.

*Rumble.*

When Knoll got out, two other figures came out of the smoke with him.

"Gaius too! But who is that guy?" Ricken scratched his head.

"People of- uh, uh…" Knoll forgot the name of the town they were in.

"People of Lem Ttrees! My Name is Alkoni Twirgh! The Mayor has lied to all of you; he has stolen me and my Brother's invention: The Da Vinci! He ordered an Arsonist to kill us both and had me confined in a prison to prevent the truth!"

Everyone murmured and looked toward the mayor who was sweating like a pig.

"It- it's all vicious lies!" Sonedi said, but was sweating hard. "That Lunatic is simply after my Invention! But he won't get it!" Sonedi takes out the blue print and rips into pieces. "Those Criminals are just after fame and money by themselves! But only I know how to make the Da Vinci!"

Alkoni walks towards the town center, he tosses away something that looked between a cannon and an arm. He then reaches under his vest and pulls out a blue print and opens it wide. "These signatures you see here belong to both my Brother Letas and I Alkoni Twirgh!"

"What but how?!" Sonedi looks surprised at what just happened.

"Now this part I can explain!" Knoll and Gaius caught up with Alkoni.

* * *

=Flashback=

Knoll is seen frantically searching the office.

(Crap! Where- Aha!) Knoll opens a drawer and finds another batch of blue prints. (The blue prints for the Iron Man.) He takes it and hides the Da Vinci blue prints under his tunic. "OK! I'm coming out- just don't kill him."

* * *

"Here." Knoll takes out the blue prints and gives them to Alkoni.

"How'd you-" Alkoni tries to ask, but Knoll cuts him short.

"I need you to go to the other room with Gaius and work on dismantling that War Machine (Oops.) Sonedi made. Be sure to keep one weapon active, you might need it to help me while I distract Arson long enough for you to dismantle that horrible thing.

* * *

"Now this is the end for you!" Arson was about to deliver the final blow to Knoll.

"Hey You!" *BANG!*

Arson looks over and gets hit by a cannonball; he drops the lance, and then flies through the wall.

Alkoni holds the arm cannon and says, "That… was for my house."

=End of flashback=

* * *

"GRRRR! That is all fake! They stole my blueprints and wrote their own signature on it!" Veins were appearing on Sonedi's face.

"I had a feeling you'd be stubborn." Knoll said. "So I have one last evidence! Courtesy of Lem Teerss- (Everyone: Lem Ttrees!) Whatever! Coutesy of this town's Anna!"

Knoll takes out the recording log he was forced to buy unknowingly, and plays a button.

"_Why the heck would you steal from those people?!" _Knoll's voice is heard.

"_You wouldn't understand! I deserve to be the best! I spent my whole life working to be the next big genius of the world! I'm not letting two clones of each other threaten my plan!"_ Here the mayor's voice was playing.

"_You ordered an arsonist to kill them!"_ Knoll screamed.

"_SO?!" _The Mayor didn't deny.

Everyone gasped and looked to the Mayor. Sonedi was mad and red as a tomato suddenly he got off a stand and started running towards the trio, "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Gaius and Knoll got ready, but Alkoni stopped them both and gave Gaius the blueprints, "Hold this for me." He said.

Alkoni stepped forward and punched Sonedi in the face. Sonedi was knocked over and unconscious and Alkoni said to him, "And that… was for my brother Letas…"

* * *

The Shepherds were about to leave town, but before they left they were greeted by the town's new mayor.

"Is Knoll or Gaius here?!"

"Hey! Alkoni!" Gaius and Knoll come over. They are followed by Lon'qu, Sumia, and Donny.

"What's up?" Gaius says.

Alkoni holds a huge jar and gives it to Gaius, "This is some of the finest coated sweets we have in town, I would like you to have it."

"OH DUDE! THANK YOU!" Gaius was almost in tears. To Knoll it seemed a little over dramatic for his character, but Alkoni went to him next.

"Knoll, this isn't much, but please take the lance the arsonist had, it will serve you better than me."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure nothing close happens to what you went through." Knoll accepts the red lance.

"And one last thing… Thank you both from the bottom of my heart… I truly had given up all hope…" Alkoni bowed.

"Actually, I think you should give yourself credit. If you really lost all hope, I wouldn't have heard your scream for help." Knoll said.

"Yep, if you didn't inspire Knoll to sneak out here, I wouldn't have followed him and listen to my gut like he did. So even when things look bleak, never give up." Gaius put his hand on Alkoni's shoulder.

"I'm sure your brother is so proud of you." Knoll tells him.

Alkoni looks up and has tears in his eyes. "Thank you… Thank you…"

A little later, the new mayor said his goodbye to people that have saved his life.

* * *

**FIN.**

**Whoa this mini arc was a bit longer than I expected it to be.**

**First: let's start with the inspiration for the mini filler.**

**Believe it or not, I based this story on great historic inventors. Can you guess which ones?**

**Here they are!**

**Letas** **Twirgh= Tesla Wright; Alkoni Wright= Nikola Wright == Nikola Tesla and the Wright brothers**

**Sonedi Samtho= Thomas Edison.**

**That's right folks!**

**I pretended that in here the "Wright" brothers made Da Vinci's flying machine, but "Thomas Edison" steals their idea. If you don't get the reference, you guys need to pay better attention to these parts in History! **

**Here is a summarized version: Nikola Tesla was one of the most brilliant minds of his generation, but Thomas Edison hired him and tricked him out of what he was promised. Thomas Edison then started a Smear campaign making people be afraid of Nikola Tesla's work. Ultimately, Edison robbed the world of one of the greatest minds in existence. **

**As for the Wright brothers, do I really need to explain for myself?**

**Now for some references:**

**Lem Ttrees= Elm Street **

**Fred Lamthigy= Fred Almighty (The movie.)**

**Apparently, all border towns are named after horror films' home.**

**Iron Man and War Machine= I sure you all know these guys, but I included them for the lols and Freudian slips.**

**Batman= you caught me; I'm one of those Batman fan boys. Though I don't always say he is the "GD Batman!" Personally I'm a fan simply because I love how he is in a sense also a villain to himself, but cares deeply about everyone around him. This especially shows in most of his animated series, even batman the brave and the bold!**

***GASP!***

**Yes, imaginary crowd I made up, I enjoyed Batman the Brave and the Bold! And I think it's underrated unjustly.**

***GASP!***

**Back to the story, The Forty Assassins appear once again, this time with new and more powerful weapons supplied by the Interferer. How will Knoll and the Shepherds deal with such future dangers?!**

**Oh and Knoll gets annoyed by some grammar mistakes. Funny since I keep making grammar mistakes...**

**One last plan I have for this story: I realized that the more famous self-inserts are usually slow-paced. IN other words, that means if I want to at least have half of their popularity and fans I'm going to make my story longer so more people could discover it. Sigh... that simply means more work and more inspiration. **

**Wish me Good Luck, Imaginary Crowd.**

***GASP!***

**Well, thank you for your time and please…**

( •_•)

( •_•)⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

**Review.**

**YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**

**(Sorry.)**


	12. Update 12

UPDATE # 12

PROGRESS: FAIR

CORRUPTION OF FILE: UKNOWN.

REBOOTING SYSTEM SCANNERS…

ANALYZING…

* * *

"Knoll's log number… What's the number after zero? Oh right- silly me… Knoll's log # 5: It's been an hour since arriving back at Nagon Rue, capital of the eastern Khan, Flavia. Who of which is now having her army get ready for the war with Plegia. While she is doing that with the other Shepherds, I have snuck out and continued my- eerr *Click*" I stop the audio log, and think a little, should I record my meeting's with Chronos and all the other crap I'm put through? No… this might be taken by someone and my secrets will be exposed, and that is a worst case scenario. Now that I think of it; I think one, two, three, and four come before five.

+_Knoll, quit talking into the recorder, joking on math numbers, and hold the lance again. I think I finally understand what this things really is._+

So here is the deal, after the event with Lem- I still don't know the name. After that stuff, Chronos came back. He said he left me after the Scorpion fight to check around for Naga's and Grima's movements. I then told him about the new weapons the Interferer gave the Forty(minus four) Assassins.

We are, or Chronos is, studying these mysterious magic weapons.

I hold up the lance, despite the cold, it feels so warm.

+_… Alright plant the lance on the ground one more time._+

I do as Chronos tells me, and my necklace starts to glow blue, as it does, the Lance cracks and breaks and a small red glowing orb comes out from the broken lance.

"What is that?"

+_Knoll… this is a fire spirit._+

(WHOA, WHAT?! You mean like Neptous?!)

+_No, not a major spirit like Neptous. This is a normal fire spirit._+

The small red orb dances around and then vanishes.

+_He said thank you for freeing him, he was forced into that lance by a mysterious power._+

(But what does this mean?)

+_Something terrible, do you remember when I told you about how the spirits were now more involved in the realm of humans/mortals?_+

(Yes…?)

+_The Interferer is using the spirits as a medium to enhance weaponry, making weapons on parallel with Falchion that are easily attained._+

(Everything is hard enough with the upcoming war, now we have to worry about the underworld's greatest fighters with weapons on par with Falchion? What the freak are we going to do?!)

_+We stick with our plans: Head to the Mila Tree and find the Spirit trying to save the other spirits. We can't handle this situation without more information._+

(So I guess we will simply prepare for the dessert trek… I still wish there was a way to save Emmeryn.)

+…_Understandable, however we can't._+

(Yeah yeah, I understand… I'm going back to the barracks now and train up on my sword and lance skills.)

+_Alright, goodbye Knoll._+

I throw away the lance, and head back down.

I was absolutely terrible in the fight against Arson. I know he had a more powerful weapon, but if I wasn't so zippy I would have died instantly. The thing is: even if I train hard right now, I don't think I'll be able to change much if something like that happens again soon. We are also going to face Gangrel's army later on, and I doubt I'd stand a chance against a royal guard, let alone another F.A.

If I try Sully's training regiment again I'll die before I get in shape…

I sigh; I was only able to do well against the Brothers of Death because I relied on trusting my movie instincts and it caught them of guard. So far I relied on distractions to let my opponents guard down for one second, and I know I can't rely on that forever.

So the question is how do i get stronger quickly? Hey? Isn't that Fortuna training with her lance down there?

"Hey! Fortuna!"

She looks over, sees me, and then looks disappointed. Is she still angry over that?

She then says, "Hello Shepherd."

"You can call me Knoll, or what Gaius calls me Loony. I think I actually got used to that."

"…" She just looks at me oddly.

"Hey mind of I spar with you? I was completely overwhelmed in my fight against Arson, one of the Forty Assassins." I take a practice blade.

"Alright." She agreed to that a little too quickly. "I heard from Gaius that the lance was on fire, but it didn't harm the user." We bowed and began to spar. Why do I have an odd sense of déjà vu?

"Yeah, he casted a fire spell on it and it was set ablaze. When I *dodge* tired it out this morning- *slash* It accidentally broke." Suddenly she stopped moving in that moment for some reason.

She seemed to be shaking for some odd reason; was she too cold or something? "You- YOU!"

"Are you OK? Are you feeling chilly or something?" I ask. She suddenly lunges at me very quickly and starts attacking faster than a while back- Holy Snap?! I can barely keep up with her movements.

"I can't believe that you already broke such a powerful weapon! Do you have any idea how useful its power could have been in the upcoming war?!" She jumps spins her lance and- Crud! She is out to kill me! RUN FOREST, RUN!

She runs madly at me, ans she screams like a banshee while doing it, "IDIOT! *smash* BAFOON! *bang* PIECE OF CRAP! *crash*" Holy snap she is breaking those wooden dummies with a practice lance! Why can you not channel that towards the bad guys, Woman?!

I run away from her and spot Cordelia and Lon'qu talking to each other. I scream, "HELP ME!" but I run away from them since Fortuna is right behind me.

"GET BACK HERE, SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

…

"… What was that?" Lon'qu only stares as Knoll leads a mad Fortuna into the city.

"I have never seen Fortu so mad at someone; what did Knoll do?" Cordelia wondered.

* * *

Oh man an alley. Oh no a dead end… My End…

I turn around and see an angry looking Fortuna with a- is that a Killer lance?! What the heck?! I know! I'll try to reason with her!

"Listen Fortuna, your letting you anger cloud your judgment. (She is acting like a crazy lunatic cartoon!)"

"Oh no, I'm thinking quite clearly…"She said darkly. Snap! This is gonna hu-

"Excuse me?" I small voice comes out of nowhere.

I look over and see a little girl with a few matches. She is covered in fur clothing and looks really scared, but it's hard to tell because it's a little dark here.

"Close your eyes, sweetie, you might not want to see this." Fortuna tells the girl.

"Oh No! I'm not letting you kill me over an accident!" I hide behind the little girl; she kind of smells for some reason.

"That weapon could have helped us greatly! Now stop hiding behind a little girl and accept your fate!" she yells at me.

"Are you still mad that you thought I flirted with you that one time?!" She suddenly has a red face; I think I just made her madder.

"Why you-"

"Um…" the little girl speaks again.

"Oh sorry about that." I say to the little girl. "We are just having an adult argument."

"Don't treat her like she your kid or something!" she needs to calm down.

"Calm down, honey, you're scaring the kid." …Uh oh.

I think her rage broke. She is just looking at me with death glares, but suddenly asks, "What is it dear?" to the little girl.

It looks like the little girl is about to cry, poor thing, we traumatized her. "Wou- would you- would you like to buy a match?"

A match? Why is a little girl selling a match- hey… Is she holding her stomach? Is she hungry?

Fortuna asks, "Why are you selling matches?"

"Hey Fortuna? Do you have any money on you right now?" I ask.

She looks at me confused. "Do you actually want to buy matches?"

"No, dinner; Hey little girl, wanna come?"

"Really?" She looks at me with huge eyes.

Fortuna looks angrily at me. "What? Hey?! I don't know what you're doing but I am not buying us-

* * *

"*Sigh* How did you do this?" Fortuna glares at me across the seat booth and the little girl holding up a knife and a fork waiting for her order.

"It wasn't me…" To be honest she only said yes because the little girl would have cried if she said no.

"Thank you Sir and Madam!" the little girl said.

"Um… It's fine dear… What is your name again?" Fortuna asks the little brunette.

"My name is Maci. What's yours?" she says almost like a cute anime kid.

"I am Fortuna and he… is trash. Don't ever be friends with someone like him." *Sigh* Being picked on by the hot girls, it's junior high all over again.

Yeesh woman, "Why are you so hostile to me? It's not like I mean to do those things that make you mad. Oh and my real name is Knoll." I say to Maci, but Fortuna's glare still hasn't let up.

A waiter comes in with our food (actually just Fortuna and Maci, she refused to buy me anything.) and tells us, "Here are your orders, ladies. Oh and sir and madam? Please do keep it down; you're disturbing other people and couples here."

"Oh sorry about- Sir?" Odd, its almost as if he was suggesting..."We are not a couple." I say to him.

"Really? The way you both bicker is like that of an old married couple." That sounded kind of rude to me for some reason.

I seen a vein pop up on Fortuna's face, "Sir we are not a couple, please don't mention anything relating me to this… thing."

OK I'm tired of that. "Really? Really?! I have no idea what your problem is, but you are driving me crazy woman!"

The waiter laughs and we both stare at him weirdly; he then says, "Oh, I see you both will live a happy life together then."

Both Fortuna and I stammer, "WHA-wha-what?!"

"This is from experience; the couples that always argue with each other openly are always the ones that live a long and happy marriage." I think everyone in the restaurant is looking at us now.

"Don't put me in the same boat as him!" Fortuna gets up from her seat and points to me.

"Dear dear please stop." An old lady from one of the other tables came over to us. "I don't think your daughter can take her parents arguing in front of all of us."

Why is everyone getting the wrong idea?! If she was with me it would only be to kill me and steal my money easily! (If I had any.)

"Mam you misunderstand, Maci here isn't our daughter." I try to tell her.

"Oh!" now a different man comes. "How could you deny your own daughter? Even if she was adopted, you must love her like your own!"

PEOPLE STOP MISUNDERSTANDING.

Fortuna address everyone in the restaurant, whom of which are now all looking at us, "People we are not married, not a couple, Maci here isn't our daughter, and don't just assume things!"

"*Cough* *Cough* *Sniff*" Whoa Maci are you crying?

"Look what you two did!" Another annoying person butted in to this debacle. "How can your family stay together through something like this?!"

"Sorry Knoll, I think I'm a little allergic to the spice." Maci says.

"It's fine. Fortuna just pay these people and let's just leave." She huffs. Why do I have a bad feeling for this?

"You pay…"

"I don't have money! You said you were only going to buy yours and Maci's food! Please don't be an unreasonable bully."

"Are you some cheapskate or something sir?" a woman asks.

"Worse I'm broke. It's supposed to be her paying." I point to Fortuna who is still staring at me.

Can this day get any worse?!

Uh oh! I didn't mean-

"You don't make a lady pay!" some people scream.

I whisper "I don't think of her as a lady."

BANG!

Fortuna looks at me with a forced smile with veins popping out of her head. Di- Did she hear me?

"Dear? What was that?"

This won't end well.

Sunnuva-

=Outside=

"What's going on here?!" Lucile just stared as there was some riot going on within a building.

"Whatever trouble they have, I don't think it's peaceful. We have to go in there and-" Chrom tried to convince Frederick, Lucile, and Lissa to calm down the people inside, but before Chrom could finish a sentence, a body is thrown out of a door specifically Knoll landed on his backed and looked to his friends with his eyes facing different directions and spinning.

"Oh hey Cap. Why do you look like a girl?" Knoll said to Lissa.

"Come back here! I am not doaaaah- Uh, Captain… Back so soon?" Fortuna said.

=Bathing Tent=

"I never have been so embarrassed in my life and it's his entire fault! I'm glad that the owner didn't press charges." Fortuna was seen naked in a tub of water washing with Marci.

"*Cough*Fortuna why do you hate Knoll so much?" Marci asked as Fortuna was washing her hair.

"*Sigh* It does sound unreasonable doesn't it? The truth is I don't necessarily hate him, but he reminds me of someone I absolutely despised."

"Who?" Maci looked at her with big eyes.

"He reminds me of my father. My father was a lunatic; he had a psychotic breakdown a little after I was eight. He would always break things and one day… He killed a house maid. He was sent to an asylum for the rest of his life and my mother died a few years later over the grief and worry she felt for her husband. I don't hate Knoll because I have seen him fight with courage and I have seen him care deeply about people around him with a goofy smile. I get angry with him because I don't want him to be anything like my dad. There are always rumors of him being insane, and Sir Frederick even said once that Knoll thought of himself psychotic. They don't understand what that actually is like and I hope that they never find out." Fortuna explains to Maci.

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question… Aren't your parents worried about you? I was surprised Knoll wanted you to stay here for the night and more so when you agreed. What about your parents?"

"Uhh… *Cough*"

"You need to go back sometime… Look after I get you cleaned up, I will bring you back to them ok? I'll make sure you won't get scolded or something." Fortuna smiles.

= Later in the main lobby of the barracks=

"I just don't get why she hates me… I try my best not to hurt anyone's feelings, and even if I do I make sure to apologize quickly." I say.

"Hey Loony are you talking with yourself now?" Gaius comes in and tells me.

"Huh? Wha- Kellam!? Did you leave while I was talking to you?!" Dude that was rude.

"Knoll, I am still here." A small voice speaks out.

Yeesh sorry, guess my mind has been thinking about Fortuna so much that I forgot my friend's habits.

"Sorry Kellam, after being scolded by Frederick, Captain, and Lucile I just want to go to sleep and have a good rest for tomorrow. I bet your day was better than mine." Gaius comes over and sits on a couch nearby.

"Yes, it was the usual for me. However, on my way back I heard a sad story at the grocery store. I heard the vendor talk to a lady about how one of the town orphanages closed down." Kellam said.

"Ouch… That's gotta suck for the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up like me or something." Gaius noted.

Kellam continued, "The Orphanage was able to give almost all the kids a home before it closed down."

"Wait- _almost_?" I ask.

"The vendor was saying how there was one child that was abandoned. I heard them say that no one wanted her because she had a terminal disease. Some of the officials were actually too afraid to go near the child because they feared it might spread to them." Kellam continued.

"That sounds terrible, so what happened to the kid?" Gaius asks.

"After the caretaker of the orphanage left, the kid mysteriously disappeared… Just like someone I know." Kellam hung his head down.

"Wait a sec- what were her symptoms?" Please don't be a coincidence.

"I think she was coughing a lot."

Uh oh.

"Gaius did you see Fortuna and Maci, the little girl, with her?!" I ask.

"Yes, she left to bring Maci back home a while back." He told me.

I run out and take my boots and coat because its really cold out at night here.

Shoot, I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner. She sold matches? I thought she was just poor, but she didn't have anything. She smelled weird to me because she probably didn't take a shower in a while. It also explains why she coughed so much I thought she had cold. I really hope this weather doesn't make things worse.

Where would Fortuna take her? Would Maci even tell her where to go for her home? I wished I asked Kellam where the orphanage w-

What the? Did I bump into someone?

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear." A big old lady apologizes. I spot on the ground a small dog.

"No it's my fault; I was looking for some people… Do you know where the old orphanage was?" I get off the thick snow and try to find out where they went.

"Oh sorry dear, but I don't know. I'm heading to make a cup of tea for that nice doctor I came from and maybe for that poor wee girl in his care."

"! Where is this doctor?" I ask her.

"Two buildings to your left; it should be open, and it has a red cross on the door." She tells me.

I run in the direction she said and yell, "Thank you!"

I get over to the said building and I see Fortuna with tears in her eyes.

"Knoll!" She was sitting in one of the seats.

I sit next to her and she tells me what happened.

"Maci was quiet at first… But then she led me to a condemned building. I scolded her for not telling me the truth, but she suddenly started cough badly and then she collapsed. I quickly took her here." She was crying. "I'm so sorry; I didn't know she was sick. I wish I saw earlier."

"Well… while we are on that topic… I guess it was stupid of me to take lightly how I broke the fire lance. I didn't really think properly of my actions." Yeah I mean I just brought it to Chronos without even considering how it would help us in the fight against Gangrel.

"Actually, I unjustly accused you and treated you poorly; you didn't mean to break it after all. I'm also sorry…"

"…"

"…"

"Pfft… hahaha!" We both start laughing. "Ha- oh we are both crazy in that regard weren't we? No wonder people thought we were a couple." I say.

"Still- I don't think we should be laughing in a hospital…" Fortuna tells me. "The doctor told me not to come in as they give her a check her up… I'm worried about her."

"Don't worry about it so much… I'll stay here the whole night here with you if I have too."

Fortuna's face got red for a sudden, "I-it- you make it sound like a bad thing!"

"Sorry sorry" I laugh and wave my hands in front of her.

"You know, I was wondering…" I asked. "How did you end up with Philia's Knights; how did Sumia end up with the Shepherds; and how did Cordelia get stationed in the border?"

Fortuna smiles softly, "Well that's an odd story; you see I could have also been stationed in the border with Cordelia, but…"

* * *

"…Sir?"

Uhh… What?

"Ahh your awake. If you can wake up your wife you can see your daughter now."

"She is not my-" I realized that something was leaning on my shoulder and smelling really nice.

Oh snap- Fortuna is sleeping on my shoulder! Uhh- Uhh- I know gently nudge-

"Miss wake up." I hate you Doctor Man!

"Mmm… Wha-"

That doesn't look-

SLAP!

=Later=

"I' am so sorry! I just instinctively decided to slap you." She told me.

"It's fine. So doc? How is Maci?" I ask.

"She seems to be doing fine. I was inspecting her for the last two hours… Her symptoms at first seemed severe. However, when I took a better look something was off about her fever. I can not quite explain it, but she will need to stay under your house care for the next month. No going outside and no traveling."

"Wait but doctor…"

"I am Dr. Vindaloo"

"Dr. Vindaloo, we are not this girl's parents" I say. I then tell him about what happened.

"Oh then there is nothing I can do for her, nothing at all."

"What bu-"

"She at least needs someone to take care of her, but I don't think any of you two can? Can you?"

"…" That is so unfair; I can handle another little girl dying.

*Knock Knock*

We all hear a knock on the door. Who would come this late?

The doctor opens the door and the old lady I met a little while back came.

"Oh Dr. Vindaloo, I came here to give you some tea. I put a wee bit of vinegar in it." I don't think you put vinegar in tea- Why do I have a sense of déjà vu? Wait a sec.

I quickly greet her again. "Hey! Hello again!"

"Oh hello there, sir would you also like some of my tea?" The old lady asks.

(=Recommended song- Last of the Starmakers (cartoon song)=)

"No thank you, but I- we really need your help." I ask her.

She replies with, "What is it dear?"

"Fortuna! Knoll!" Maci happily yelled from her bed.

"Maci, we would like you to meet Muriel." I introduced her to the nice old lady.

"Hello dear, I was asked by these nice people to take care of you."

"Really?" She asked.

"Oh it will be fun and I'll teach you me secret recipes."

"You mean I get to stay in a home?" Maci asks.

"I have quite a lovely home, you'll enjoy my husband and our pet."

Maci smiles wide and says, "OK!"

"Well kiddo this is goodbye, you caused me quite the trouble today." I bend and rub Maci's head.

"Thank you Knoll! Thank you Fortuna!" I promise not to forget either of you now.

"We've got to hurry now, me favorite time of the day is on." Muriel said.

We all waved goodbye to Muriel and Maci. I found myself walking alone back with Fortuna, and it's in the smack dab middle of the night again isn't it? We are about to go to war and I just messed up the only two nights were I would get a good night's rest…

"Wow the stars look pretty tonight." Fortuna tells me and I look up. sure enough, the stars were brighter here than at my home.

"So Fortuna? Think you and I could bury the hatchet?" I joke to her, but then she looks at me with a soft and kind look. Whoa she looks really pretty.

She then tells me, "Consider it buried six feet under... Knoll." She smiles sweetly and walks back towards the barracks.

She said my name... And looked really pretty doing that... *Sigh* at least this night is finally going to end and I can catch what little sleep i can.

But hey I guess that I could give a up a few hours to sleep. Especially, if it means I get memories to last to the end of my days with a girl worth sharing those memories with. (End Song)

* * *

"*Yaaawwwnnn* Ugh didn't get much sleep last night." I speak my thoughts out loud.

"I heard you were up all night with Fortuna, did you _kiss_ and _make up_?" Vaike teased.

I decided to actually try trolling with Vaike for once. "No, I slept with her." I smirk. He suddenly looks at me with his mouth wide open. I laugh and say, "I'm just kidding Teach. Though you are half right, I did apologize to her."

"Haha! Good one, you actually had me fool, I mean there was no way someone like you could score with someone like her." He hung his arm around me.

I sigh and peak over to Streaky. Since Streaky here is a wolf, I'm going to assume that it will get dehydrated easily from the hike to the dessert. I'm going to have to stock up on a lot of water for the both of us. Good thing we just still here at Nagon Rue and have only left recently.

Funny enough, we all have to leave through the Long Fort. Maybe I can meet Sagit again; he always seemed like a cool dude. He is the first sniper I have seen that can fight close range with a bow. Speaking of which, the Master and Second seals are coming in the next mission right? I wonder how they are going to work.

Odd… why is it suddenly so cloudy in the distance? Why do I hear alarms… Wait a sec.

"Shepherds! To Arms! The Long Fort is under siege by Plegians!" Chrom yells.

What? When was this?! This wasn't in the game! Those things in the sky, aren't those wyverns?!

I hear a voice saying familiar dialogue in the distance. "By moon's end, they'll be erecting statues of me in the capital! Ho there! Ylisseans! Give me the emblem and spare yourselves a gory end!"

Yep the actual boss of chapter seven. Go figure, shame on me for thinking I wouldn't see him. On the plus side we are fighting with Raimi and potentially Sagit. The downside, there are twice as many wyvern knights and pretty sure some of them are actually Wyvern Lords.

I hate being the Restorer.

* * *

**I'll have to cut this one short too. I have some personal stuff to organize so the chapters may actually come slower than I originally expected. After the last three chapters, I'm going back to the usual chapters being around 5000-6000 words approximately.**

**The Story:**

**Now we see how spirits are actually factored in to one part of the world of mortals: Being placed into weapons. We will call them Possessed Weapons for now. (Darksiders 2 FTW!)**

**Just when Knoll assumed he was out of Chapter 7, it turns out he hasn't even started it yet! Once more the events in the story have been destroyed. But as Knoll will find out soon, It isn't just the events that are slowly starting to change…**

**I thought maybe I could make Knoll in this chapter start to develop feelings for Fortuna. Since most of the Fire Emblem world simply relies on three or four conversations to be partners in life, I wanted the relationships to grow a little more slowly here. It also give me a chance to lengthen the story.**

**I realized in my story there is a huge lacking in bonding for supports and love interests for the pairings in this story. I'm going to have to put a little more work into which characters I'm going to put together. This chapter is a little slow less than what I usually write because I wanted to focus more in building the relationships between characters. This actually gave me an idea of somehow making an adventure out of the support conversations, so I'll see what I can do in the future.**

**I also noticed I oddly have my character avoid the main group consisting of Lucile, Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa. Maybe in the next chapter I'll have to bond my character with them because for some reason I find it hard to write about their characters. **

**The inspiration for the Support Chapter:**

**The little Match Girl- A sad animated story of a homeless little girl selling matches. Here is a link to the video I saw for this:**

watch?v=yUSzQBaWq0Q

**The inspiration for Maci. Who would have died in the cold if not for Knoll.**

**Muriel and Dr. Vindaloo- From one of my absolute favorite kid shows, these guys are based on the Indian Doctor in Courage the Cowardly Dog and Muriel the kind and loving woman who adopted Courage off the street.**

**I thought it would be a good idea to somehow mix these stories to someone without a family to go to a place where a person will care for you despite all their faults.**

**Surprisingly being one of the only kid shows to ever scare me, I absolutely enjoyed their music. Sometimes it had a soothing feel to it at the end of each episode.**

**With that I am ending my thoughts/Rants/Explanation/Author's notes here.**

**Thank you for your time and please review.**

**Wakka Wakka!**

**One more thing- Happy Fourth of July!**


	13. Update 13

UPDATE # 13

TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED.

UNKNOWN ENERGY SPIKE LOCATED.

SYSTEM RESTORATION EN-ROUTE TO ANOMALY.

WARNING! TEMPORAL STRUCTURE FAILING.

CORRUPTION OF FILE: UNKNOWN.

MODE: OVERVIEW.

* * *

(Recommended music- Akkadian Empire by Audiomachine.)

"Hurry up Knoll!"

"Easy for you to say Maribelle, you're on a horse!" I spot a nearby wyvern knight with a red axe in his hand. Uh oh, is that a short axe?!

He throws it and I dodge it, but it immediately circled back and returned to the owner. Boomerang Axes… That really shouldn't work in the physics of my world.

"Caution Knoll." Miriel runs beside me. "It would be problematic if you were beheaded at the present."

Two wyvern knights swoop down on the three of us. I pull out a javelin and hit the eye of the wyvern causing it to fall along with its rider. The other rider was jousted of his wyvern by Sumia.

"Thanks Sumia! I scream to her."

"Thanks hurry up to the left flank!" Sumia said and went back to meet with the main group.

Lucile noticed that some of the enemy's forces were going away from the fight. She then recognized some of the equipment they were carrying was the same weapon found under the colossuem.

Yep it's the return of dynamite. Looks like Gangrel invested into some of the revolutionary weapons the Interferer is making in the market. That is so not good.

Lucile ordered Maribelle, Miriel, and I (With Streaky.) to the left flank of the Long Fort to prevent the bombers there from collapsing the Long Fort on this side. Ricken, Lissa, and Lon'qu were sent to prevent the same right flank from being blown up. While the rest deals with the major forces.

"There! Those scoundrels are setting up a pile a in the lower hall!" Maribelle pointed to a lower floor of the fort where they were piling up the red candles.

"Right, Miriel do you have a wind tome?" Lucile told us that wind magic is useable near the explosives because you can use the wind magic to blow away the light of the fuse and blow away the dynamite from each other, and lessen the combined explosion.

"Affirmative, I'm putting my expectations on you the hold off the Plegians who would pursuit us." Miriel noted.

"And I am here to heal any Ferox Soldier hurt in the initial siege." Maribelle told us.

"BARK! Grr…" Streaky growled as she took a stance facing the sky.

Two more wyvern riders came up and dropped of a fighter and a myrmidon. One of the wyvern riders says "Don't let those Ylissean dogs even close to the-KRRRFF!"

Distraction is key. I threw another javelin right at the speaking wyvern knight's neck, and since every one of those remaining three was distracted, I ran up with an iron sword and slashed both the myrmidon and fighter quickly leaving the last wyvern rider afraid of me.

"Why you das-" Following my lead Miriel blasted the wyvern rider off wind the wind tome knocking his wyvern out unconscious and both falling to their death before he could even speak.

"I must admit Knoll; you are getting quite good at fighting." Maribelle complimented.

"Thanks but I only rely on distractions, I only seem to do well against lesser soldiers, which is why I was beaten easily by one of the Forty Assassins and other more disciplined warriors. Now come on, we have to stop them from blowing up the fort." We head down to the lower fort where the dynamite was all piled up.

"Alright Miriel, remember what Lucile said. One dynamite can cause an explosion that isn't as bad as a whole pile. If you can somehow separate the whole pile away from here it's our victory." I recap the plan.

"Ugh!"

When the four of us get down the stairs we hear a familiar voice crying in pain.

"Sagit!"

Sagit was beaten down on the floor from a fight against a wyvern lord. The wyvern lord stared simply at our direction, before raising his tomahawk (Seriously?!) and charging towards us.

I act quickly. "Maribelle get Sagit! Miriel the dynamite! Streaky you're with me! Go People!" I take out the iron sword again and charge at the wyvern lord.

He gets ready to swing his axe, but I slide right under him and his wyvern and avoid the claws. While he looked back to spot me again, Streaky jumped on him and started biting on his helm. I took this opportunity to jump and strike him with my blade, but I didn't see his wyvern's tail until the last second-

"Oof!" I land on my back and quickly get up. I see the lord picks up Streaky and throw her to the other side. He gets off his wyvern and holds a killer lance on his free hand. He signals his wyvern and then it goes after Streaky.

OK… one on one huh? I throw one of my javelins at him; he retaliates by throwing his tomahawk and it cuts through my lance. I dodge the tomahawk and it returns to his hand. He charges at me with his lance, and I dodge it by jumping out of the way; he does it again and I pull out my blade and stop the spear from piercing me by slashing it and making it miss my head. He then uses the momentum to swing his tomahawk at me; I duck and back off from his range.

He then stares at me, waiting for my next move. I look over and see Streaky handling his wyvern- wait a sec… Streaky fights by jumping on opponents and backing off… I- I think I finally found a way to fight better!

The idea seems good but… OK.

"Hey, Ylissean scum, are you surrendering?" He says as I re sheathe my iron sword.

I take a running position and wait for it.

I hear him laugh. "The heck? Whatever I expected you to bow, but that is not quite it. Die Scum!" He charges at me.

Time to see if this-

*BAMF!*

Works!

"HA! YES!" I scream out loud.

The wyvern lord clutches his stomach with an inward dented armor.

"You *Cough* dastard! What the *Urf* was that?!" The guy said.

"HA! I call it the Pouncing Wolf based on how my friend Streaky fights, Thanks Streaky!" I say as she dodges a bite from the wyvern. I basically took another running position and jumped with my strength. The initial force allowed me a strong punch right onto his stomach. Best part is I didn't feel a thing, but he felt a lot. I can only imagine how this will work better in future fights once I perfect this.

I see shadows on me and I quickly get out of the way. Four more wyvern riders gathered around the wyvern lord. Streaky got back to me and his wyvern followed the group.

"Ha! Looks like the tables have turned! Let's get em!" He climbed on his wyvern and got ready to attack.

This doesn't- what's that fizzing noise?

I look down and see lighted dynamite in front of my fee- "SUNNUVA!"

I kick it towards the group of wyverns, who have clumped together, and pick up Streaky while running away. I dive behind a pillar.

Boom!

I peeked over to see the explosion had blasted away the mini group that was about to attack me.

"Knoll? Are you present? Was it a success?" I hear Miriel's voice from above.

"I'm fine- wait was that you who sent that dynamite in front of me?!" I thought I already made things up to her by giving her most of my first paycheck.

"Affirmative. I assumed it would be a wasteful to not use some of this experimental weapon in our favor." She fixed her glasses and held a fire tome.

"*Whistle* So that is how one works. I could only imagine how bad it would have been if only one of those things were lit during the tournament."

I look over to see Sagit, Maribelle, and other Feroxi soldiers (I am assuming their Sagit's unit.) who are all healed up.

"Sagit, it is good to see you back on your feet." I tell him.

"Thanks, I see your still in one piece despite how bad things always seem to happen when your around." He chuckled.

Wait- oh right bad things do seem to happen when I am around. "Well nothing bad is happening now."

A Feroxi soldier says, "Captian Sagit! Ground forces are making their way here!"

Sun of a beach, I have got to stop to stop jinxing myself.

"So that's why they tried to blow up the wall, they wanted their ground forces to swarm from all sides and destroy the Long Fort." Sagit said.

...

"How many are there?" Sagit asks the soldier.

"Uh, one… two…-"

"AN ESTIMATE!" Sagit yelled.

"More than I can count sir."

…

"*Sigh* I'm just going to assume it's a lot. Most of the main forces are in the middle, so how are we going to handle this?" Sagit asks.

… Oh.

"Hey Miriel?! Is there still that pile of dynamite?" I ask and she simply nods.

Sagit smiles wide. "Oh I recognize this. So what are we going to do?" he folds his arms.

I look to Sagit and ask, "Do you have any longbows or any ballista?"

He thinks about a little before saying, "We don't have any ballista, but we do have catapults. As for a longbow, I have one right here." He shows me the light blue bow.

"Alright have half of your men move the catapult quickly, the other half will be getting the ammo the Plegains were so kind to offer. We will just have to tell them we can't accept this gift." I smiled darkly.

Oh it feels good to think and do evil. Muwahahaha…

Sagit's men moved fast, they brought all the available catapults (three) and lined them all up. We tied up the boulders on the catapult with dynamite then we lighted them up and launched them into the coming crowd.

For Sagit, he tied a dynamite stick to each of his arrows, and which ever unlucky punk got past the huge exploding boulders had themselves get hit by an arrow with a bomb.

With a few well placed throws by both Sagit's skill and Miriel's calculations, the force coming to this side of fort was easily neutralized.

"We still have some left over dynamite. Let's use it to stack the odds in our favor in the main engagement." I say.

Sagit nods, "You heard the Shepherd men! Move the catapults and carry as much of the dynamite ammo left! It's time for the Climax!"

"Knoll, we have to report back to Lucile and the others." Maribelle came over and told me.

"Alright, Sagit, we are going ahead! Good luck!" I yell.

The four of us head back to the front of the Long Fort and everything is hectic here! Just being near here, I had dodged three or four short axes.

"Where the heck are they?! I can't spot anyone here!" I spot a wyvern rider coming close and I throw another javelin at him, which impales his shoulder and he falls off the wyvern.

"Knoll to your right!" I hear a voice, but I don't try to recognize it. I reach for another- snap no more javelins! "AAAgh!" Oh god my chest! Is that a javelin piercing my chest?! Oh what the heck?! Why does this- uh the pain…

"Knoll, hold on!" Maribelle says while Miriel pulls out the lance (Me: AAAAHHHH!)

Even while I'm on the ground I see another wyvern knight heading our way fast, wait he doesn't have a helm- Is that the commander?!

I feel better now and I now hear his voice as I get up.

"I'll splatter you all on the stone's wall!" he yelled. He threw a tomahawk at us, but Maribelle hasn't finished healing me yet and Miriel was busy dealing with other wyvern riders around us.

Someone smacks the tomahawk from hitting us and I see the figure to be none other than Frederick.

The healing is finally done and I feel better. "Thanks Frederick." I say to him.

He only nods, and looks back up.

The enemy commander just takes out another tomahawk, but he suddenly gets distracted by a feather falling right on top of his head. When he looks up he sees Cordelia spinning a lance.

Cordelia yells while charging in, "Behold the power Ylisse! Triangle Attack!"

When I heard what she said, I looked around the commander. Sumia and Fortuna had formed a triangle around him and all three of them unleashed a three sided strike which instantly killed both the wyvern and its rider.

That was actually really cool. I was wondering how a triangle attack actually looked like.

Chrom came in with all the others he asked, "Is the commander down?"

"Yes milord." Frederick replies. "The Pegasus knights took care of him.

Lucile comes in saying, "Now how do we deal with the rest of them?"

*BOOM!*

"Simple really, we just kindly return their present for us." I say as I get back up.

Sagit had fired a boulder filled with explosives into the sky and decimated a good portion of the enemy fliers.

Without their commander, the enemy forces quickly fell to the last of Sagit's explosives.

(End music) (Yes I know it's too short, but I hope you all continued to play it?)

* * *

The battle was won and we were all stationed to help out the soldier and re plan our advance to Plegia. I was in a war council with Lucile telling us we had to take a new route.

"So as you all know, we are needed to hurry up and arrive in Plegia to stop Emmeryn from being executed. However because of the engagement here in Long Fort we have been delayed in our traveling schedule. If we continue our normal route we might not make it in time." Lucile told us.

Frederick then addressed us, "But don't be alarmed, Lucile has found a faster path that requires us to pass through the center of the continent."

Miriel came over and spread a huge map on a large table. Lucile pointed to the center of the continent where there was a mountain range. Lucile then said, "The mountain range here is the unofficial border mark of Regna Ferox, Ylisse, and Plegia. We will have to cross this range in order to make it to the execution date. However, this path was known to be where a lot of bandits take refuge, so we may be attacked on our way there. Unfortunately we can't afford to take any other route. There are also recent rumors saying how hikers are vanishing recently in the mountains; some herb gatherers have also noticed unnatural weather patterns while looking for the plants that make medicine there, so be on your guard when hiking up the mountain and prepare for anything."

* * *

Is- is this the end for me?

It hurts so much…

I can't believe I'm going to die in a place like this! No…NO! After coming so far…

Please… please let me at least say, "How much longer do we have to hike?!"

Yep this army has a nasty habit of forcing us to march faster when going on mountains, and once more I feel like dying with my lungs being on fire.

"Teach is with Knoll on this one, when are we going to stop?" Vaike said beside me hunched over. (Why am I partnered up with Vaike in these hikes? It's bad enough I have to walk till exhaustion, but I usually have to hear Vaike bragging about himself and how he is going to beat Chrom **every second** until he gets tired like now. Too bad there is oxygen here because Vaike might have shut up a little earlier on.)

Right now we are in said mountain range that Lucile mapped out. Good news: no sign of any bandits, so if this keeps up we maybe ahead of schedule again.

Potential bad news: If this is going to be anything like the Long Fort, then I can expect an even harder fight than what I expect… Go me.

Science news: even though we are technically up Mount Everest (No really, they said that this mount was the biggest in the continent and it was named Mount Ever.) there doesn't really seem to be a lack of oxygen or a decrease on temperature.

Bad news: I can't distract myself by making snowballs and throwing them at Teach again that and we are marching under some thick fog right now, so gotta be careful and watch my step.

I march groggily up ward with the rest of the army. As we head up, the fog lessens so maybe we are so high up it wasn't a fog, but clouds. Regardless as we head up, I notice something appearing on the path. Every once in a while, some ruined pair of pillars appear, but the more we went in the more frequently we saw the pillars. As we continued on, the pillars almost seemed to get more restored or less damaged showing more of what seemed to be an archway to a city.

Everyone seemed to be murmuring around the army. I heard a soldier say that there was no sign of such ruins here before. I don't like this… Please let this be just some delusion I'm having right now.

+_Knoll? Do you know where this is?_+

(So much for hoping I was imagining things.)

+_This is quite surprising; I never even sensed this place._+

(Whoa- wait. What do you mean "Place"?)

After passing an almost new looking archway, the fog finally lifted and I gaped in awe with what I was seeing.

On top of the mountain, was an ancient temple/city that resembled like the parallel of Machu Pichu and it looked abandoned? However, it gave a feel that made my skin crawl in a bad way.

I also noticed that it was already night out of the fog. Going with how these thing tend to flow that means-

"Everyone we're camping here for the night!" I heard Chrom's command say.

Go figure.

Some messengers came to pass us in order to tell the news to the other people behind us.

* * *

Whoever came up with, "No rest for the Weary." Deserves a gold medal and a Nobel Prize because that has been my life ever since I came to this flipping excuse for a game!

+_Knoll, quit complaining and look over to the next hall way._+

(Tell me again why you're making me just stand randomly in each hall way in this temple that the others, even Streaky, wouldn't go near to?)

+_I don't recognize the symbols here, so if I can somehow translate the glyphs here it might help us greatly. This place is a huge enigma and this may factor in the Interferer's plans and/or help us find the Spirit who is fixing the world. And it's not my fault you have been lacking rest for the past month._+

(UGH!)

"UGH!"

(OK I was thinking it, but I know I didn't say it.)

+_Someone is here, go check that balcony over there_.+

(What?! Alone?!)

+_You'll be fine even if you die I could just heal your body and use it as a medium to check the status of this world better._+

(HA HA!... very funny Chronos, but I don't want to be even considered expendable.) I walk over to the balcony slowly.

+_Don't jinx yourself._+

I peek over the corner and I see-

A frustrated and red faced Lucile?

I ask, "Lucile?"

She gets startled and says, "Kno- Knoll?! What are you doing out here? You scared me!" She seems so flustered… maybe I can tease her a little.

"What's the matter Lucile? It looks as if you're angry because Chrom saw you naked! Ha ha…"

Bingo. She gets even more red and screams, "Who told you that?! I'm going to kill Chrom when I see him!" She looks scary when angry; I better stop our tactician from killing Chrom and getting a game over.

"… Actually you did. I was just joking. I didn't know you two had that kind of relationship?" I smile darkly, so this is how it feels to troll people; I understand this form of evil now.

"Wha- First of all: we don't have that type of relationship! It was an accident! Second: Can we just drop it now and tell no one about this!?" Poor Lucile, she is so red right now that all of her blood might be in her face. So is this heading towards a ChromXAvatar thing? I actually like this paring, I'm not a otp person because I think all pairs are well written. This one in particular is something I like because it has a lot of story potential to it; I mean a person with half of Naga's blood the other a half of Grima? It's too bad there wasn't a little detail into that.

"OK, I'll keep quiet, so what are you doing all the way here?" I ask her.

"Well for one, to think about the upcoming plan for the Execution. I also have to think about how we are going trek the dessert properly due to the dessert being hard to travel on and other factors in fighting and decide what would to do under an attack from bandits while we are still here. Not to mention I have to clear my head for being angry at Chrom."

"So adventuring in an unknown temple is a good stress reliever?" I ask.

"Actually… I came here to stargaze." She says and looks up to the sky.

"Really? I didn't know you like to stargaze?"

"Yes, I don't really remember much because of my amnesia, but when I look to the sky and see all those stars… I just feel something warm around me. Did my parents bring me to star gaze? Are they alive? If so are they worried about me? Stargazing to me feels as if it's the only thing from my past, yet it brings me more questions and worry than comfort…" Lucile tells me.

"…" You know Lucile's mother was never really mentioned in the game. Validar even said she escaped, so would that mean she is alive somewhere?

"I can't say I understand how you feel, but if you ever need anyone to talk to I'm sure anyone, even me, would listen to you. I mean after all everyone likes you even Frederick whom I am convinced is still hoping I'm a Plegian spy so he has a reason to beat me up again." I try to cheer her up.

"Heheh… don't sell yourself short, Knoll, if it wasn't for you we might have been killed in the Long Fort, blown up in the tournament, Maribelle might have died feeling bad thinking she caused a war, we could have been killed by assassins in our sleep, and recently we would have a lot of damage done to us if you hadn't seen that soft spot on those Giant fire-breathing Scorpions." She ends up cheering me as well.

We both laugh and I say, "What would these guys do without us?"

"Yeah…" She suddenly has a curious look on her face. "So why are you here Knoll?"

… Uhhhh….

*Thud*

"What was that?!" I say. I am so thankful and scared something is here.

"Oh Knoll and Lucile what are you two doin here?"

I was surprised to see Donnel holding an odd rock in here.

"I was going to ask you that question, and what is with that rock?" I try to change the subject.

"Well, you wouldn't believe it; once we came here I felt an odd burnin sensation coming from my pa's rock." Donnel showed me his famous stone from all those supports I heard about. I don't know how it was supposed to look, but this one looked almost like a piece of a crystal ball. It had an odd star-shaped diamond in the middle of it.

"Was that stone always like that?" Lucile asked him, staring into the pretty looking rock.

"No, it was just an unusual see through stone that is until we came here. When I saw it again this odd crystal thing appeared in my stone. I reckoned that maybe my pa's stone came from here!" He yelled excitedly.

I know his in his supports about the stone he never actually found the meaning behind it, but… If his stone here is reacting to something, chances are it isn't a stone.

+_Yes, your right, it is emitting a strange energy that is similar to the temple we are in now._+

(Oh, Chronos, I forgot you were still here.)

+_Focus in the conversation, I think this may help us greatly._+

Lucile holds her chin and says, "This place is really weird. When the scouts checked the place there was almost no sign of anyone living here, or rather this place felt as if it was built so on one would come here. The symbols in these walls are almost unrecognizable and Miriel is actually going to spend the night studying it, and now Donnel's stone here seems to be connected to it."

"Do you know how this stone works Donny?" I ask him.

"Well so far, if I point this thing here in a direction the crystal seems to move and fast." Donnel points it to a direction down the hall and the crystal in the stone almost dances in the direction. Donnel then continues speaking, "I reckon it wants me to go in that direction."

"Mind if I come, sounds like an adventure!" I swing my arm.

"Well I am curious about this place…" Lucile also agreed to join your party!

We then walked and followed Donny for a good few minutes, as we continued to walk, the crystal in Donny's stone moved faster and faster until…

"Where is this place?" We had entered some kind of big room with a locked door.

The door was huge it had like lines all glowing in a different color stemming out or connecting to the center where it looked like Donny could insert the stone into the slot as if it was some kind of key.

"I think the stone goes in here…" Donnel walks to the door.

+_KNOLL! STOP HIM!_+

Chronos? "Donny! Stop!"

"Hunh? Why?" Donnel stops before he gets in arm's range of the door. Lucile just looks at me surprised.

(Yeah, Chronos, why?)

+_Knoll repeat after me._+

"… Uh take another look around this room… It's a bit dark, but I think there are actually paintings or images on the wall this time." We go to a wall and I see an odd picture of what seemed like monsters fighting humans. "… Oh, this reminds me of the foreign lore on the Demon king and how his soul was sealed into 5 sacred stones." Fire emblem Sacred Stones lore?

+_There is more now say this…_+

"OK the next painting is similar to the tale of Anri the hero before Marth the Hero-King." This next mural shows a man wielding a sword against a scary looking Dragon. I quickly look around; I notice that all of the ancient legends of each previous fire emblem game were engraved in these walls.

"Uh, what does this have to do with me not going to use this on the door?" Donny asks.

Chronos tells me something and I widen my eyes and closely look at the picture of Anri. I then say, "In these pictures, around all these legends, there are eyes all around them…" Lucile and Donny quickly come close to me and see what Chronos revealed to me.

In the background of each legend, there were eyes… in the trees, the ground, the sky, and sometimes on people. The eyes always looked into the legend or event that made up the legends, but it was so scary so soul piercing, yet they were just symbols.

"Something in my… gut is telling me that there is something really bad behind that door and we are already having a lot to deal with right now, so please don't open that door." I say understanding only little that Chronos has guided me to say.

"Alright… I think it would be best to try it another time, but I finally did find out what this stone does! Maybe one day we might come back here." Donny said.

… I don't doubt that.

We all start walking back out since there was nothing more we could do.

+_Good job, Knoll. That was too close._+

(Care to explain why you were so desperate to stop him?)

+_It's complicated… But basically I was able to sense a form of vacuum behind the door._+

(What does that mean?)

+_I'll try my best to explain it: you see, I guess you could call the door a gateway. If it was open however it would "suck in" the one who opened it. If Donnel opened it we might have been sent who knows where._+

(Oh… Do you know where it leads to?)

+_No, I am still translating the symbols on this temple. However something in my gut is telling me that this place will have an important impact on this timeline. Just keep an eye on Donnel and his stone._+

(Great another mystery to add in our adventure, I am starting to see why they say "When one question is answered many more take its place" or something along those lines.)

+_… Something else was bothering me…_+

(What?)

+_The energy of the door seemed… Active._ _This temple seems old, but there are no signs of bugs or dust. The door's energy almost suggest… something didn't go in, but rather __**something**__ came out of it recently.+_

(What could have come out?)

+_I just don't know._+

* * *

=Elsewhere=

A man is coming into a shrine. In front of the shrine is a Grimleal who is worshipping Grima.

The man bows and says, "Master Chalard, we have found the dragon girl. We have cornered her and are prepared to capture her."

"Excellent pledgeling soon you will be allowed into the great wonder of Grima!" Chalard raised his hands to the shrine.

The man stands up and says, "Yes… all hail Metus!"

Chalard turned around. "Is that a new name by which the great one goes by now? You youngsters, it's best to stay by old traditions."

The man smiled darkly at Chalard, but then his eyes turned completely white and he collapsed. Even though he looked unconscious, something was coming out of his mouth.

Chalard was scared, "What's going on?!"

A being emerged from the mouth of the unconscious man, a giant black blob floating in the air, it's center opened up and out appeared a big yellow eye. It suddenly charged at Chalard.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

That was the last word the mortal Chalard had managed to speak.

"… Hahaha… Fellow Grimleal- NO, Fellow Metians! The time has come!"

"BRING ME THE DRAGON GIRL!"

* * *

**Some secrets are better left unfound. **

**This was secret that was never meant to be unleashed.**

**The prelude to the end is almost nigh.**

**Pray O children because nothing can stop it.**


	14. Update 14

UPDATE # 14

REPROCESSING…

ACTIVATING SUBCONSCIOUS FIREWALLS.

UNUSUAL BRAIN ACTIVITY DETECTED.

UNKNOWN POWERSOURCE DETECTED.

ANOMALY DETECTED.

ERROR: CLASS-B TEMPORAL TROJAN VIRUS DETECTED.

SYSTEM RESTORATION ENROUTE TO DAMAGE.

WARNING: DAMAGE EMINENT

MODE: OVERVEIW

* * *

~We'll be coming down the mountain when we come ~We'll be coming down the mountain when we come.

Well what do you know; I finally got some good sleep! I feel great and I never felt so refreshed!

But now it's time for reflective thoughts on my situation to remind myself that I am not crazy.

So far: I found an ancient temple in the center of fictional continent, had a good talk with one of the main characters of the fictional continent and learning there might be some shred of her past showing to me that I didn't learn in the game, learned one of the other characters is in possession of a key to the great unknown, and learned from my giant, energy, blue, and cranky cosmic guide snake-thing that said great unknown has sent one of its lovely civilians here to destroy the timeline of this world and further it to a temporal collapse, which sounds like a bad thing. Now I am walking away from the ancient temple with a bunch of main characters to go save a dead woman.

Yep, that sounds perfectly sane.

+_I can't tell; are you being sarcastic within your own mind?_+

(Since I have the worst luck ever that involves something beyond proving me wrong as some form of joke, I decided that I too would like to troll myself to make me feel good about myself.)

+_… what kind of backwater logic is that? You enjoy hurting yourself? What are you Emo now?_+

(~How could this happen to m-)

+_NO NO NO! Enough singing in your head! It's driving __**me**__ crazy!_+

(Well if a guy can't sing badly in his own thoughts then where can he sing?)

+_Just talk to someone who isn't me for the next twenty four ho- years._+

(Haha, really funny Chronos.)

+…+

(...Sigh… 69 Heheh. Oh sex jokes, the thing we virgins like to pretend we know.)

+_Stop right now, I'm cutting off communication with you for the next day. You have issues sir, issues!_+

HA! It worked I trolled Chronos! This may seem like huge error in judgment, but I don't care! I enjoyed that feeling ooohhh…

"Knoll? What are you doing with your hands?"

I find myself rubbing my hands together like the many clichéd villains before me. I look to the person who talked to me, Virion, and say to him, "Just feeling a little chilly. I underestimated how cold it would be in the morning."

We did really just leave the temple and are heading back down a new path onward to Plegia. We already passed by the fog, and now the temperature is starting to rise the lower we get. Hopefully this will help me adjust to the heat later.

Virion nods and then tells me, "I had heard of your… quest within the temple."

"Really?"

"Quite so, you and our good friends Lucile and young Donnel had found a secret doorway, but you were too afraid to open it."

"Is that how the rumors are saying it? Hmm… maybe I was afraid, oh well." I don't really mind what they say about me.

"Sir? Some are calling you a coward!" Virion seemed rather surprised that I wasn't taking my pride any seriously, or at least what I thought he was doing.

"Virion I know you mean well, but I don't let rumors or what other people say bad about me matter. I let my actions define who I am, and I'm not afraid to be myself even though I know I have so many flaws. I learned all of this from my family, the stories I read, and my friends."

"That was very well said." Virion asks.

As we turn around a corner I say, "I may not look it, but I had a- a… Oh gosh…"

Virion stared at what we all saw after the turn: it was a bandit camp. There was a mountain fort filled with bandits.

Dead bandits.

The fort was painted with the blood of the mountain bandits and it was still seen from up here even though we were a good half mile above them. Some of the fort was on fire and it looked like the bandits tried to fight but didn't stand a chance.

"What- what happened here?" Virion stared at the carnage.

Chrom's voice echoes again, "Everyone! Move in and find any survivors!" we all hurried our pace. The bandits were bad people but none of them deserved such brutal death.

Despite being above slightly high, we arrived at the mountain fort fairly quickly. It was far worse inside the fort then what we saw from above. I actually saw Ricken and a few of the others barfing out of the disgusting sight we saw.

We now saw the bodies of the bandits- or which pieces were left untouched. They almost didn't look like they were killed by anything earthly. In one body, the bandit's skull was half eaten off and the other half frozen in a mix of terror and pain as half of his face was mauled on by some demonic creature. Another literally had his torso ripped from his legs, his spine was showing and was drowning in his own blood; there was no sign of cut from a blade or feel as if magic had cut him cleanly, Something grabbed him and ripped him in half. No matter which or how disgustingly brutal each bandit died, they all had the same look in their face: Pure terror mixed with pain.

"Oh gods… Who- no, what could have done this?" Chrom said.

"Milord… look at this symbol." Frederick shows one of the insignia the bandits wore. "These are no ordinary bandits, they call themselves The Rams a skilled group of mountain bandits who were excellent at defending at anyone who tried to attack their fort, and famous for causing trouble to any military force that entered their territory. To think such warriors were slaughtered effortlessly… this is an ill omen." Frederick looked worried and he almost looked scared. What could have happened?

"Something feels off about how they died…" Lucile came over to us. She was looking specifically around the entrance area. "It looks as if the enemy came from right above them, like where we were from, but obviously only the lucky ones got to even touch the gate. If you notice their bodies, most of them are facing the place we entered; I think they tried to escape. And whatever thing was here it wasn't alone, the bodies show there was more than one way they died: claw marks, fang marks, poisoning, or brute strength. I truly doubt even Risen were capable of such carnage."

I start to say something, "Captain? Should we search inside for… I know this may sound inconsiderate, but maybe we should collect any weapon that wasn't destroyed and see if their gold and supplies was taken to help us in our march to Plegia."

Chrom thinks about it for a moment, "… No your right Knoll, bad things happened here, but we still need all the help we can get for rescuing Emm and it would be a waste if other bandits where to take their weapons or misuse their gold. Men! Scout the building and find any leftover stache of weapons, supplies, or gold!"

* * *

I found myself walking these crimson hallways. Only a few of the Shepherds went in to help volunteer look for anything that can help us and fewer of the normal soldiers came with us. Along with Streaky, a private soldier named Set is helping us look for the free supplies.

"Sir what if whatever killed these men, is still in here?" He was scared in his voice.

I didn't feel that scared for some reason; I felt more pity than scared, but I tell him, "Don't worry Streaky and I will by you enough time to escape and tell the others. That is a worst case scenario, Streaky here also has sharp senses, and if there was something here I bet she would have sensed it."

"But what if the smell of all this blood is covering the scent of the thing?" he asks.

"Well then worst case scenario."

"How could you be so calm?" He asks.

"… I'm not; I'm trouble as you are, but all I could do now is focus in helping Captain Chrom in saving our beloved Exalt. It is scary, but there are a lot of things we also need to worry about more right now. Oh and I remember something Lucile said the blood was dried up a few days ago so it's more than likely that whatever was here left already." I tell him.

"But-"

"Trust me Set, doubts will only pile up. Instead of doubting start planning, so when it does happen you can act instead of reacting. Example if the beast is still here, you don't just scream, quickly run from it in the opposite direction and find someone quickly." I cannot even begin to tell you how much anime I watched to learn about this.

"I-I see… You're right Sir, thank you."

"No problem, here let's try this room." I push two big doors and we find what seemed to be the leader's room. There was a map of the mountain in the middle table, but it was covered in blood. The leader was on the floor. He was a berserker with a weird mustache and had the same look the rest of his men did but…

"Is he alive?" I ask and I bend over to check his pulse. I notice he holds a killing axe, so I pick it up and hand it to Set.

"Why would you say that sir?" Set asked as he started shaking his lance, and he kept the axe somewhere… how does the units carry more than one item anyway? I even struggle to carry two weapons, but I digress.

I check his body for any sign of poisoning or other injuries. "I don't see any sign of this guy being hurt or wounded… Get a medic in here if you can to check on him. Streaky, go with Set here, I think you're better at finding people than Set right now."

They both left the room. I try to feel for a pulse in his hand, but he is chubby and I can't really feel his veins. I try to get up and look around the room.

But something grabbed my hand tightly from going away.

"Re..res…" The leader was alive, but he was struggling to speak. He clung to my hand almost desperately. I actually felt his arm almost slipping from that hold.

"Hold on we are getting a medic, you will be fine just stay with me. Though, you will have to pay for your crimes after you're healed." I tell him.

He focuses on me better and seems to calm down, but he still seems to be in pain. He then said something that caught me off guard, "Ar- are you… The Restorer? Are you Knoll Highlander?"

"Wha- how di you know my name?!"

His grip tightens, "You must flee Restorer! **They** showed me who you are! They showed me the truth of this world! Woe to us all, Woe to us all!" he started crying. I felt as if this man who once did evil things shamelessly was shown something far more horrible and it changed him.

I looked to him shocked. He knew I was the Restorer? "How do you know that? What do you mean by _Truth_? Who are you talking about?!"

He started coughing blood. One of his eyes complete lost its pupil, but his other still looked into mine. "You *Cough!* and Chronos… UGH! You are the only ones who can save us… but… UGWAAAHH!" he starts having some sort of seizure but he keeps speaking as if he is desperate to tell me something.

"B-b- be careful Knoll. Because you are the only ones to stop them… they will all hunt you… if they get you then… then the-they… they wi…" His last eye went completely white and he suddenly stopped moving. His hand let go and he was for sure dead this time.

I-i-I need some air…

I see Streaky come in with Set and the medic.

"Sir are you alright? You look so pale." Set asked me.

I need to talk. "Uh… I- I. S-sorry the guy is dead. I need to go clear my head for a moment."

I head out of the building as quickly as possible. I found a little corner that looks into the horizon. The view stretched on to what looked to be a dessert for miles. I think I'm far enough to start panicking now.

Dear Lord! What was that?! WTF?! These things are after me? Sunnuva- that is so unfair! It was hard enough to deal with the war, but wtf is this? I so wish Chronos was here, but of course like some bad fanfiction, I decided to trick him away, gosh!

I breathe in and exhale.

Screw it, by now I should remember I just gotta do things myself and remember help will only come when I don't need it the most, so basically all other clichés in a hero story. Like I told Set, I have to plan not doubt. Funny, I owe my calmness and all to these guys who were supposed to be fictional characters. I just hope things will all work out in the end.

Clearing my head, I go back to Chrom and Lucile. Both of them are inspecting some of the weapon staches we found.

"Oh Knoll how was your Patrol?" Chrom asked.

"I found a killer axe and… oddly enough I found the leader's body…"

"What's so odd about that?" Lucile asked.

"There is no other way to say this, but he was alive." I think I'll just tell them some of what he said.

They both look surprised at me, but Lucile says, "You said was."

I rub the back of my head and respond with, "Somehow his body had no damages, but his head was completely screwed from within. Some of his last words was about repenting and how the end was nigh. He ended up dying trying to warn me about something."

"And what was it?" Chrom asked.

"Sorry, he died before he could say it."

Chrom looks away for a while quiet, before saying, "Well we have no choice but to keep it for another day. Most of their gold and weapons were intact so this helps us greatly." He inhales then seems to just speak his thoughts, "Even if the war is over… Something bad will happen won't it?"

With Chrom looking like that… It makes me wonder… Did I cause all of this mayhem?

* * *

With all of the enemies treasures secured. We continued down the mountain path. Time seemed to move quickly as we found ourselves trekking the dessert. And oh gosh is it hot!

We have been marching for a good three hours and once more and the scenery is looking more like chapter 8 now. So if I'm right, we will soon stop for hopefully a water break, Lucile and Chrom will talk battle strategy like usual, and Frederick with the scouts will detect Nowi and Gregor. This will hopefully get things back on track and if not it might give me time to think about what the guy's message was.

I notice how the group was heading towards a nearby oasis. I guess this is it.

A little later after giving Streaky like two of my rations on drinks, which I poorly underestimated how much a wolf with thick fur would needed to be hydrated a lot to survive the day here,(It's much cooler in the night.) Frederick came to me.

I greet him, "Yo, Frederick what's up?"

"Knoll, I want you to lead our scout force to check the area." He told me-

… I have to do this? I sigh and say, "Yeah sure fine. Hey! Stahl, can I ask you to look after Streaky for a while? She needs more water because of the fur, which maybe I should trim off…"

Streaky looks at me and growls.

"Never mind just give her my share of water will ya?"

"Alright Knoll." Stahl brings his horse over, while I follow Frederick.

"So Frederick, I'm leading a scouting force? I think this is my first reconnaissance mission."

"We have located some towns nearby huge skeletal remains of a great dragon. There were odd signs of movement, so we are sending you along with a small group to scout the area."

"Ah I see so how many people are following me?" I ask.

"We will use only a small group, so you will lead five people." Frederick gives me something familiar. "Take this telescope; it should help you spot things easier. The lens has been re designed by Anna so the heat won't distort the vision." Frederick leads me to a bunch of people.

Or band of misfits…

Frederick then introduces these people. "Knoll this is zeta platoon. The myrmidon is Heath, the archer with green hair is Kara, the soldier without a helm is Lance, the mage is Mirt, and the mercenary is Wendy. Good bye Knoll." Frederick leaves me alone with the Zeta platoon? I didn't even know there were code named platoons here. The army is such an odd place.

"Well hello folks-"

"Let's get one thing straight, bub." The myrmidon tells me. "Just because you're a Shepherd doesn't mean you can boss us around!" He yells at me in a tough guy-like manner. "I make the calls here, ME! Heath Kaldon!"

The mercenary girl comes over and punches heath in the head, "Sorry about that sir Heath here has huge ego problems. I'm Wendy Gunil." She seems reasonable and cool headed of the group.

I respond, "Oh it's alright, I'm sure we will all get along just fin-" odd… I can't feel the air circulation within my neck.

"WHA- WHAT DO YOU MEAN "get along" THIS ISN"T A CLUB YOU-" She was choking my neck.

I saw he soldier come over, "Wendy! You're killing our commanding officer again! What did we tell you on keeping that anger in control?" Again? Frederick you dastard! You left me with a group of crazy people!

The solider named Lance restrained Wendy and allowed me to breathe again. "Thanks" I say.

"Oh I am so sorry, I'm Lance Keil. Allow me to introduce everyone else before we set off: The archer is Kara Toran, and our mage is Mirt Hue."

"Well nice to know that; OK are you guys ready for the scout?"

"Yes another easy and boring mission…" Kara complained.

"… Excuse me?"

"Don't mind Kara sir; she is just complaining how we have only been getting easy missions so far." Mirt tells me.

"Easy!? Try boring! All we've done so far is staying in the back! When Plegia attacked the Long Fort we were given orders to stay put and back up."

Lance told her, "Kara we've only recently joined the army, what do you expect?"

I tell these people, "That's enough for now. We are on a mission to save The Exalt; don't be so quick to find trouble. Now come on, we have a job to do people… Say, do any of you know which direction we are supposed to go?"

They all looked at me shockingly mixed with disappointment.

* * *

"Nothing on the northeastern view sir." Lance told me.

"Alright." I look around with the telescope it's really hot out but it's also windy there might be a sandstorm soon. "Mirt what's your report?"

"ZZZZZ…"

Is he sleeping while standing up? "Mirt… WAKE UP!"

"Uh wha- sorry *yawn* I sometimes fall asleep in the job." Mirt groggily wiped his eyes.

"… Fine, so what's your report?" I ask.

"Zzzzzz…"

"… Wendy what's your status?"

"Oh you're asking me?! Just because you can't get a report from Mirt, you don't use me to escape your problems!"

Lance then came over and tried to calm the unusual raging Wendy down.

… It's just a recon mission Knoll, it's just a recon mission. Just recheck your area with the telescope one more time and silently plan to spike Frederick's next meal.

Alright let's see, this area is a lot like chapter eight; I think we are even in the starting area of the level but there is a lack of enemies. Odd… why are there no enemies here? Wasn't Nowi and Gregor supposed to be surrounded here or are we to early?

Lance tapped my shoulder, "Sir, I think you need to see this… look over to the oasis in the distance, right next to the huge skeleton." He pointed to the direction he described and I took a look with my telescope.

True enough I saw a large group of people gathered around an opening into the giant skeleton. I tried to fix my telescope to see better and then I saw… Is that a dragon they are keeping tied down on a cart?!

Crud!

I look again, I see it really is a green dragon muzzled and struggling to break free and I see a huge man in chains being dragged and pushed by these people. However these people are wearing something that really stands out to me: they are wearing a symbol of the eyes I saw in the temple.

Something is telling me those are not the Grimleal.

Kara spoke, "Is… Was that a?"

I don't know how this happened but I can't let them get Nowi and Gergor. "Mirt! Wake up and give the report of what we saw to Captain Chrom! Tell him that a bunch of odd Grimleal have captured a man and a dragon and brought them into their hideout under the skeleton. Everyone else, we have to get there quickly and try to save those people!"

Wendy (witch) started complaining "Are you Crazy?! We can't last agians-"

"ENOUGH! I am not going to let those people die nor have their bodies desecrated because of an evil cult! And I am not stupid enough to charge in there like a maniac! We need to go in there and somehow distract them long enough for us to save the two and last until Captain and the others get here. Now kindly Shut Up and move!" I prepare a steel sword and an iron sword just to be ready to pull out, and we head towards the area.

"Sir?" Kara asked as we all kept our pace toward to the secret hideout. "Do you have an idea what the base of a cult like the Grimleal is like?"

"… I imagine we are going to see some disturbing things, which is all the more reason to save those prisoners." I tell her, remembering the previous exalt's secret chamber.

We end up by the secret entrance, a dark place where even the intense sunlight almost vanishes in this place. The place looks like a giant fort inside the hollow Jurassic fossil. I signal the team to move to around the main entrance and search for another entrance. We move along inside the bones of the skeleton.

"Hey sir." Heath tells me. "Maybe we could enter through there." He points to a window

We all sneak in slowly; however, it's all to dark here. Then we walk along the creepy hall ways and suddenly something soft is heard.

"Wha- what's that?!" Kara starts to shake in fear.

"Shh! Walk slowly…" in the end of a hall way we walk a dim light is seen. I recognize to be the light of a lot of lit candles from my local church once, but candles here is never a good thing.

Some odd chanting is heard echoing through the walkways.

"Nautar-sarun-ixitar-barundo-vali- Nautar-sarun-ixitar-barundo-vali- Nautar-sarun-ixitar-barundo-vali…"

At the end of the hallway, we find some odd balcony looking down on three floors below. We make sure not to stand out to much and inspect the horrible scene before us.

A large group of cloaked cultist circled around Nowi, who was still in her dragon form, she was in some scary looking magic circle around her with the middle symbol written across her chest. Despite her wailing and struggling, the symbol written over her tail, wings, and lower neck prevented her from moving.

"LET GO OF ME! STAY AWAY FROM ME! *Sob* LET ME GO!" I saw that Nowi was really scared of all of this; I even saw her starting to cry. Gosh, none of this was supposed to happen!

"It can talk?" Heath said in disbelief.

"It must be a manakete." Wendy said, to which I nodded in agreement. "They are very rare dragons that can take human-like forms. I'm surprised the Grimleal here were able to find and capture such a legendary thing."

Lance tapped me on the shoulder, "Sir what do we do now? And what about the other prisoner?"

"Right… first we gotta see if we can go lower. I now half wish Mirt was here; I would have asked him if any of those magic symbols meant anything. Stay close, watch each other's back, and be quiet the stakes are higher here than any fight we've been in yet." This is also the first time I'm leading a team.

… I need to focus or we may all get killed.

We head down one floor and make our way to cross the balcony area just below our original position, but the chanting suddenly stops abruptly.

…

We all look down again a pathway opens up from the circle and out comes one man who one would presume is the leader of the group. He is followed by two followers who have poor Gregor chained up and unable to move. The leader removes his hood and I recognize him to be the boss of chapter eig-

&^%!

What the ^!% is that?!

I put my hand over my mouth because I didn't want to make any sound what so ever. I look over to my group who were just as scared and whom also put their own hands on their mouth to prevent a word.

Oh dear God… I don't remember this boss having a third eye.

The boss raises his hands into the sky and starts to talk.

"Hello noble dragon. How are you this fine day?" he walks around in a circle around Nowi.

"LET ME GO!... PLEASE… *Sob*"

"Tell me…" he quickly goes to her left wing. He drops down and starts sniffing and smelling it. He puts his nose to touch the pretty scales of Nowi.

"STOP!" Nowi screams but she still has no control over her body.

Gregor tries to move but he doesn't even seem to bother the cultist holding him down.

The boss stops sniffing and stands back up. "So tell me… are you _afraid_?"

"*Sob* *Sniff* YES…"

"I CAN"T HERE YOU! ARE YOU **AFRAID?!**" He stops on her neck.

"*Cough* *Whimper* YES…"

Heath whispers, "That dastard!"

"Shh!" we all shush him even though he was very quiet when he said that. He was right though, I don't care if his entire head was an eye, no one does that to a fellow huma- living being.

I signal everyone to move downward more, and while we continue to move down, he keeps talking.

"Yes… Oh yes…" As we pass the next floor, I spot him hugging his body as if torturing was his great pleasure.

A sadist, why am I not surprised, but why am I so scared?

He starts some kind of speech "Fellow Metians! Before us right now is a dragon, a being of great power. Their species have inspired great _fear_ upon mortals and respect among monsters. For ages however, they ran rampant upon the mortal realm causing mayhem and destruction upon the elements, which caused great trouble for our brethren within this world to continue fixing their homes destroyed and smeared by the dragons. This day is different! Today we no longer "fix"; no longer will we "maintain". Yesterday we "became" but now we will "be!" I will begin the ritual to put my essence within the dragon and be the first to be a step closer to "his" ideal being! We will no longer work but rule! This is the day!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

We get to the floor right above them; the last balcony level right before the lower floor. The leader walks slowly toward Nowi, but he suddenly stops.

"We have been blessed, my brethren. This is the day we shall evolve become things beyond that of both divine and fell. And we shall gift the being that inspired this glorious revolution with a thing he will forever be grateful for."

I wonder if he is talking about the Interferer- wait... oh God no, please no.

"Isn't that right?" He turns around and he looks in our direction.

Sugar Honey Ice Tea.

"Knoll Highlander?!"

* * *

**First off: I am so sorry for uploading so late. I had a lot to do over the week. I might be a little slow also in uploading in the next week as well.**

**The story:**

**Alright things are getting worse as unknown beings start killing people. I wonder what could have done such carnage? Is it related to the temple in the previous chapter? Or does it belong to the work of the Interferer's hand?**

**Knoll really messed up this time. He accidently shooed away Chronos just because he was feeling hyper and refreshed from his first good night's sleep in a while.**

**The timeline is twisted once more as the Grimleal are eradicated and replaced with these unknown beings. How will this affect the timeline? What is the course the first major war will end to?**

**Oh one little note: I put all of Nowi's dialogue in caps because I think that while in her dragon form, she has a loud voice even when she doesn't try to talk loud.**

**The first saga in this story is coming to a close soon. I plan that maybe this story might be four to five sagas long so… err Woot! I'm almost ¼ or 1/5 done with the story! **

**Sigh…**

**I actually want to include a few notes from the previous chapter because I didn't make any notes because I thought it would be cool. But I don't know how people felt to it.**

**I feel kind of weird because oddly enough I think my story actually lacks Shepherds presence. I'm totally going to focus around that in the later chapters as the first saga comes to a close. **

**Basically from the last chapter:**

**I want to put more stories into things that were not explained like Donnel's mysterious stone and Lucile's mother.**

**I thought I could include something that would what I imagine how these things would be like and I plan to put a little more back story from the supports conversations of other people.**

**I have other things I want to address; however I still am pressed for time so I am ending it here.**

**Thank you for reading.**

* * *

=?=

A man walks in a room and tries to talk to someone behind a desk.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes… You see, it has come to my attention that soon Plegia and Ylisse shall soon clash metal for the life and future of the woman named Emmeryn."

"Yes… this might not have happened if I had killed her back at her castle."

"Now now Marvo, I actually am so thankful for that. You and Cross were able to the dirty job I needed you to do."

"You're quite sneaky on that boss, you offered Validar help in this just so you could cloak your intention of killing the Ylissean hierarch. None of us still know why you did that."

"I thought you said you didn't care what I do as long as I pay you all properly."

"True, but you gotta admit you are a very mysterious fellow. Even Deceit and Psych are creped out by you. But whatever, enough of the small talk now, what do you need me for?"

"I believe that a victory for either party would hamper my goals, or in this case, our goals. The life or death of The Exalt has been rather problematic on my estimates."

"How?"

"It's a personal matter for me to know, old chap. Now, according to these data I calculated, if either wins or lose, we all lose. However, what if they were to have a _draw_? Then there is great potential for us in that."

"Whoa whoa, that's like choosing "or" in "Life or Death" that's impossible."

"Not quite, I have a plan. I need you and Adrenaline to head to Plegia's execution area."

"Hmm. Before if anyone was to order that, I would have said that was crazy but I would still do it. Now, I have a fancy new sword I have been itching to try out. So yeah I'll take this challenge. What do you want us to do?"

"Listen carefully Marvo, because I shall not repeat myself."


	15. Update 15

UPDATE # 15

B- CLASS TROJAN DETECTED.

SYSTEM RESTORATION IN PURIFICATION MODE

CHANCE OF PURGE: 15.7%

CHANCE OF SYSTEM RESTORATION SUCCESS: 10.3%

CRITICAL SPIKE DETECTED: CORRUPTION OF FILE EMINENT.

MODE: OVERVEIW DISABLED

* * *

(=Two Steps From Hell - Suburban Legend=)

"GET HIM!" The leader pointed out to Knoll and instead of running to the hall stairs to catch them, the other cultists jumped to the wall and started to climb the wall like Spider Man, but they would use their fingers to hook and latch onto the wall.

"RUN!" Knoll screamed.

Zeta platoon ran away into a different hallway; they didn't care where they were going, but they knew they had to get away from the almost in-human cult.

"What the heck are they?!" Heath cried as they ran back. During the chase, they all noticed a dim yellow glow coming out of the cultists' eyes.

"There! Hurry in there!" Kara pointed to a door. Zeta team went in and shut the door behind them, and with that, everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Wendy, catching a second wind, told her team "What was that?!"

Kara then said, "They way they moved weren't human."

…

"Why did it get too quiet?" Knoll asked.

True enough, despite the cultists being right behind them, there was no sound or even an attempt in opening the locked door. Knoll slowly went up to door; he attempted to actually try in re-opening the door.

"Sir!? Why are you opening the door?!" Lance asked.

"Shouldn't we check why they aren't trying to come in?" Knoll replies.

"What if they are expecting you to open it?!" Heath screamed. "Look there is another door over there; let us see if we can escape from there." Heath walked to the door on the other side of the room and everyone but Knoll followed him. Knoll then backed away from the entrance door; however he had an odd sense of no turning back as he went away from the door.

The other door had an odd symbol on it: the symbol was simply Grima's symbol with a skull written over it.

Heath opened the ominous door and every gasped in horror with what they saw.

It was a room filled with caged Risen or it looked like a prison for Risen.

"Oh Gosh… What is this?" Kara asked.

They all walked along the huge room; inside the cages where Risen warriors on one side and civilian looking Risen on the other. All of the Risen were all quiet and they seemed oblivious to the living flesh walking just beyond the metal bars.

Heath unsheathed his sword, "Tch… Risen, hate these things. Let's get out of this as quickly as possible."

"So why do you hate Risen so much? I understand these things are terrible, but I think people would feel more fear to these things rather than hate." Wendy asked.

"See… back at my home village, we use to be on good terms with our neighborhood village; however, one day they were burned down and destroyed by Risen. Thing is, there was a split pathway between both of our villages that was between thick forests, so it was a fifty/fifty chance on who ever got destroyed. We were only spared by luck." Heath told them as they continued down the seemingly endless room.

"Ouch, I'm going to guess you guys felt really bad and helpless about that. N-not to sound insensitive or anything." Knoll said.

"GRR! … Dang it, yeah, I can't even deny that." Despite scaring Knoll, Heath calmed down. "I decided from that day I would protect my town along with all the other men in my small town. We would be such a great force that nothing like that would happen again."

Lance asked, "We?"

"Some of the other men from my village, but we all got sent to different platoons." Heath replied. He then looks over to a random cage. "So you can see there is alo-*Clang*"

Everyone stopped and looked to Heath. Knoll then asked, "Heath, are you ok?"

Heath had dropped his weapon and he was staring into a cage; he then started to say something.

"M-Mom?!"

Heath ran towards the cage and held its bars trying to take a closer look at the Risen inside.

"HEY HEY! This is my family and neighbors! You! Shepherd dude, open this cage!"

"Whoa- why would I open a cage filled with Risen?"

"This is my family Dang it!"

Lance came in and tried to calm down, "Heath that isn't your family; it can't be them, so calm down!"

Lance slowly and reluctantly backed away from the cage, and as he did the civilian looking Risen all stared at Heath blankly.

Wendy then pointed out something weird, "Hey, isn't that a door in the back of their cage?"

True enough, inside the dim cage, a shape of a door was seen right behind all of the risen.

"…" Everyone looked at each other then they all looked down the hall way on both sides. Neither side showed an end in sight.

"The heck is wrong with this place?" Heath said as he spit in a random direction.

"I didn't know you spit." Knoll said, but he went towards the lock of the cage.

Lance tried to protest. "So we are going to open that cage? But the Risen?!"

"These Risen are unarmed, so we can easily kill them and get to the door."

"Hey! You're actually going to kill them?!" Heath asked.

"Heath! These are Risen! Think clearly! Why would your family be turned to Risen and be brought all the way over here?! And if that was the case, it won't be right to leave them in that type of state!" Heath became silent and Knoll continued on, "Something off is happening here… The way those people moved, the three eyed freak, and the more I think about it: weren't the symbols on the dragon almost unrecognizable?"

A click was heard after Knoll opened the lock. Everyone unsheathed the weapons and prepared for the risen to inside the cage to move, but they all simply continued to stare right at Heath.

"… Let's just go." Knoll made his way to the door, and the rest of them followed him. However after a few steps loud slams were heard throughout the hallway.

Kara tried to look around, "What was- GET IN THE DOOR NOW!"

When one cage was open, like a domino effect, all of the other cages opened right after. From an echoing distance, cages were opening one after another right toward their current location. All of the Risen that were freed from their cage started to run madly at the only living flesh in sight, and as they passed by, more cages were opening towards Zeta platoon.

"GO GO GO!" Pushing through the Risen in the cage, everyone dashed towards the door.

"HEY! WHAT THE-"

Everyone looked back and they saw an old female Risen grabbing on to the hand of Heath.

"HEY! LET-"

The Risen almost started to say something, "D-deary…"

"Mom?"

"Heath! That isn't your mom! Come on! They are about to swarm us!" Wendy screamed.

"Sh- She won't let go!" Heath screamed as the Risen in the cage all started grabbing onto Heath.

Knoll tried to grab Heath away from the Risen but they wouldn't let go.

"RAAH!" Some Risen from another cage appeared, but an arrow flew right into his face.

"Come on!" Lance and Kara were already behind the door. Wendy came over and tried to help Knoll and Heath.

Wendy and Knoll pulled hard, but the civilian Risen pulled harder. Unlike most Risen, the ones in this cage started to speak, "YoU faiLeD uS!" "yOu pRomIsed!" "HeAth! you leFt Us foR DeaD! You fAIlure!"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Heath was starting to lose his mind by the voices that he recognized. "YOU'RE NOT REAL! I'm not a failure…"

More Risen swarmed in and Wendy, being so terrified, ran back with Lance and Kara leaving Knoll alone with Heath.

"HEATH!?" Knoll screamed; in his thoughts, he was thinking, (I can't leave him! But- but-)

137 60

"Please… Please don't leave me…" Heath was crying and looking at Knoll, whom was clutching his head in pain.

L3T 6O

The cage from right across finally opened and a large amount of risen were seen rushing right towards Knoll and Heath.

LET GO

The next moment went by quickly like a blur.

Knoll found himself sitting down and leaning right behind a closed door. Tears were starting to fall of his eyes.

"NOOO! OH GO- HELP ME!"

The door was closed, but the sound of Heath's screams was still heard even above the sound of countless Risen right behind the locked door.

Then everything became quiet.

For a while, the only things that were heard were the sound of sobbing and sniffing from everyone. They were sad from the loss of a member who didn't deserve a death like that.

(Oh god, what have I done?! I was so scared… just like that time… just like that time before Streaky saved my life… I was so scared… I'm so sorry… What have I done?) Knoll was saying in his head.

"This… THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Wendy picked up Knoll by the collar and screamed right at him.

Kara and Lance held back Wendy's fist from hitting Knoll.

"If you didn't send us into this Naga- Forsaken Mission, Heath would still be alive! But you had to risk all our lives to rescue a bunch of nobodies!" She screamed at Knoll.

"…" Knoll just looked sadly at Wendy, unable to deny what the situation seemed to them.

"Why the Heck, are you a Shepherd?! You don't deserve to be with them! You're just some Failure!" Wendy was also in tears as she said this.

"It takes one to know one, isn't that right Wendalia?" A new voice came out.

Everyone looked and saw a cultist come out of the shadows; along with the man several other armed men appeared behind him.

Everyone got their weapons ready; however, Wendy stared in horror at the one she presumed spoke a moment ago.

"Wha- how did you know my real- Oh gosh no!"

The cultist removed his hood to reveal, some man with the same eyes as Wendy.

"Is that really how you treat your own father?" he said.

Wendy looked scared, "NO! You- You committed suicide! You aren't real!"

The other cultists attacked separating the other three from Wendy and her father.

"You stupid child, you blame him? Maybe if you had stayed with him or called for help from the other two you would have all saved him. But you ran away, you didn't take responsibility. Heath didn't die because of a bad leader; he died because he had you as a friend!" The father started scolding Wendy amidst the clashing of metal and the blood splashes from the defeated cultists.

After slashing down a cultist, Knoll looked over to Wendy. He saw the father unsheathe an axe and he was moving toward to her. "Wendy! MOVE!" Knoll tried to get to her, but he was cut off by three cultists whom pushed him back.

Wendy hearing Knoll, quickly got back up and drew her blade. Her father came up and clashed metal. He then continued to break her spirit. "That's what you've always done! You get mad at anyone over a little mistake because you never did anything right! You're a coward! That's why Polie died! You drove your mother to die!"

"No! Mom didn't die because of me! She died because she was attacked by bandits!" Wendy screamed, but her father backhanded Wendy and she fell to the floor.

"And who's fault was it that she went alone! You complained about not having your favorite dish the one night I fell asleep early, the one night bandits were passing by our town! If you had never complained and gotten angry at Polie, she wouldn't have died trying to get the ingredients to your favorite food; You selfish brat!" He raised his axe in the air.

Wendy could only start to cry and she closed her eyes.

Slash!

"Wendy!" Kara and Lance screamed.

"Oh no, not another one… You dastard!" Knoll quickly came up and stabbed the so-called father in the stomach.

"… HAHAHA!"

The moment when Knoll stabbed the stomach, blood didn't come out. His skin started to turn into black goo and melted right off. His entire body turned into the goo and melted off him, revealing nothing but a battered and cracked skeleton.

Knoll and the rest were horrified. Knoll backed away from the skeleton and looked around. Even the supposed cultists around him were melting into the floor. As the last of the cultist's goo melted, the skeletons all shattered and became dust.

"Wendy!"

Kara and the others went to Wendy who had her head cut by the thing that looked like her father.

"Wha- what's going on here?!" Lance screamed clutching his head.

"Oh god, what is all of this?! We need to go now! I didn't expect things to be like this?!" Kara was losing her head too.

Knoll wanted to panic as well, heck he wanted to cut off his own head with both blades right then and there. But he remembered back into the moment he was first so scared here.

* * *

=Flashback=

It was all quiet; I wiped my tears and hugged the wolf. I was so thankful for that.

"Trust and Forgive."

=End of flashback=

* * *

"Guys… get up we have to leave." Knoll removed his cloaked hood and covered Wendy's body in it.

"What the heck do you-"

"Lance help me up with this. I couldn't do the same for Heath, but I'm not leaving Wendy's body here to rot."

"…"

Lance and Kara helped Knoll.

Carrying a body bridal style, Knoll had to carry a corpse that was wrapped in the head. They walked down the next hallway and came across stairs that only went downward.

Seeing no other way out, they ventured deeper into the abyss.

* * *

While going down the stair case, two people were slowly descending into madness.

"First Heath, then Wendy… Did you see how they died?"

"Shh! Lower your voice… What do we do now?"

"… Lance, do you remember how the three eyed freak new sir Knoll?"

"Yeah… so?"

"He said get him. Wouldn't that imply that he needs Knoll alive? Wha- what if we offer him in exchange for them letting us out?"

Lance looked at his friend in shock. "Kara?! We- we can't do that!"

"What can we do?! At this rate, we are all going to die! I didn't sign up for this Lance; I wish I was back to doing recon missions and boring chore duties with all of you. I wanted action, I was so bored, but I never wanted this type of mission."

"Kara… We can't just leave him here for dead."

"It's his fault anyway! He risked all of our lives in this mission just to save a bunch of nobodies! Please Lance… I don't want us to die here."

"…" Lance was silent, but he looked ahead and saw something odd. "Sir? What are you doing?"

During the whole conversation, Knoll was dragging his ear along the wall. "Ever since we got on these stairs, my freaking ear won't stop being itchy! Since I can't use my hand to scratch my ear, I thought by rubbing my ear against the wall while walking, it would go away, but I didn't go away and I've been too distracted by this itch! That's it, Lance and Kara, hold Wendy for me really quick; I can't take it anymore!"

The two soldiers stared at their superior with shame.

* * *

After walking down a little, they saw a dim light at the end of the stairs. They all walked into the room and recognized it immediately. It was the same room they were all originally in.

The same room where the entire cultists gathered, the same room where the dragon was, the room with a lot of floor balconies right above it, and the same place where this crazy trip started.

"Hey! You're that dragon girl- thing right?!" Lance asked.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Nowi asked trying to tilt her head to us.

"My name is Knoll, and we are here to help you-"

"Can't let you do that Knoll."

From the shadows, an old man appeared. "Hello Knoll, we met at last." A third eye opened from his forehead.

"…How do you know my name?" Knoll put Wendy's body down for a moment and was ready to unsheathe both of his blades.

The man simply smiled wider, furtherer making the situation tense. "Well I heard of it. Most Shepherds are quite famous." He started walking towards a door. "Listen, I know we all had a hard time here, so I promise if you all leave now, through this door, you can leave and forget everything ever happened."

Knoll got angry, "Forget?! Two good people died here because of you! …Who are you?"

"Hahaha…HAHAHA! First, you may call me Metus." He bows in a mocking manner. "Second, what makes you think I killed them?"

"You somehow used Risen to look like people from their past and it tortured them!"

"Do you even hear yourself? What makes you think I can do all of those things?" Metus asked.

"I imagine that third eye is just for show then?"

Kara then interrupted the conversation, "Can we really leave?"

"Whoa wait, you don't actually believe him do you?" Knoll asked his group.

Metus opened the door and it shone sun light from outside.

"You could all leave now or I can call the rest of my men and kill you here your choice." Metus gave them a choice.

"HE IS LYING! HIS MEN WENT OUT TO FEND OFF AN ARMY TRYING TO SIEGE THIS PLACE!" Nowi screamed.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Do you really want to lose your only ticket out of here?"

"What's the catch?" Knoll asked. "We stumble on to your little circle, hear some vague plan you have, have your men chase after us, and whatever skeletons you kept in this closet killed two good people! I doubt you had nothing to do with this crap or that you'll let us go just like that!"

"No tricks. I'm in a generous and good mood right now."

"Alright then." Knoll said, and surprised everyone in the room. "But the Dragon girl comes with us and that prisoner with her a while back... wherever he is."

SLAM!

"…Oh dear, I might have to take back that offer." Metus smiled darkly after slamming the only form of sunlight in the room.

"Jackpot." Knoll said unable to read the amount of danger he had just landed himself in because he was feeling too proud figuring out the villain's true colors.

"Sir! We could have left!" Lance screamed.

"Look, I don't trust that guy- URFF!"

THUD!

Nowi roared, "KNOLL!"

Knoll fell down. He felt his head throbbing being hit by something blunt.

"Haha?! What is this? Why would you hit him with your bow girl?" Metus jubilantly questioned.

"I-if we leave him and the dragon, can we leave?!" Kara was shaking all over even in her voice.

"Ah poor little girl you're _afraid_ aren't you?… alright now the offer is with you." He re opens the door. "If you leave your leader and the dragon-"

Kara dashed out of the door with tears in her eyes as she frantically ran out.

"HEY! Wait!" Lance came over, picked up Wendy's body, and ran after Kara.

SLAM!

Once more, Metus slammed the door behind them.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream was heard from the door the others had left through a moment after they left.

Knoll coughed blood and struggled to get back up, "*Cough*Lance, Kara!" Knoll looked to Metus. "You said they could leave!"

"If by leave you mean releasing their mortal shackles, AKA: dying… Then yes."

Knoll charged again at Metus trying to hit him. Metus backed away considerably far from Knoll. This didn't stop him from talking.

"My my, aren't you a crazy one, Knoll Highlander?"

"*Cough* Wha- what do you mean by that?"

"The mortal emotion: Fear. A wondrous thing that all of them have. How without it, we couldn't live our daily lives. But before I go any deeper- let's make this conversation private. *Snap!*" Metus snapped his fingers and Nowi's seals glowed. Suddenly, Nowi was shocked by electricity.

"Nowi!" Knoll got up and wielded both of his blades. He charged right at Metus to slash him, but Metus got out of the way by jumping over him.

"Relax, she is just unconscious now. I still need her hahaha…"

"… So what's this all about?" Knoll swung one sword and demanded from Metus.

"Anyone by now would have lost their mind. A dark unknown place that brutally kills anyone with their worst fears: The people you're trying to protect turn into monsters, a man you hate coming back from the grave to drag you down with him, your dreams of adventure turning into a nightmare, and sadly having a woman you like turning mad and insane before you. But look at you: a child that faces all of this head on even when death is eminent… Impossible by normal standards, but you aren't normal aren't you Knoll Highlander?"

Knoll tightens his grip on his blade, "I'm not the most stable person I know."

Metus' third eye started to glow, "… And that is why you are a Restorer."

"!?(What did he mean by that? But if he knows I'm the Restorer then…) So you were talking about the Interferer in that monologue a while ago. I was a bit confused if you were talking about him or Grima… Just who are you?"

"Like I said, I am Metus… By any chance are you there too? Chronos, The Ancient Guardian? I want to see the being that crushed Neptous with ease!"

"Nept- You're a spirit!" Knoll then realized he was in big trouble.

"Haha! I am Metus, the Spirit of Fear, a pleasure to kill you." Metus then took a fighting stance.

(Aww crud.)

[=New recommended music- Requiem for a Tower=(trust me, "tower" not "dream")]

Right off the bat, Metus did something that was true to his title as the Spirit of Fear: he tore of his arms.

"Tch!" Knoll got both his blades ready and wondered how on earth he would escape from something supernatural.

"HAHAHAHA!" Metus began laughing as both of his arms were bleeding. "Not a sign of disgust huh? I guess he was right about that."

"What do you mean "That"?"

Metus smiled but something came bursting out of the arms. Black tentacles all came out wildly trashing from the area the human arms once were then they all stopped and tied together forming scythe arms big and wide as a tall human being. Metus then said, "You really don't know, do you?"

He jumped and attacked Knoll from above; Knoll dodged by sprinting away to the right. Knoll dashed right behind Metus and slashed him in the back; however, Metus turned his head 360 degrees and laughed. The wound Knoll inflicted only opened up, the red blood turned black and a giant fist came out off the wound and slammed Knoll into the wall. Knoll dropped his weapons as he fell down.

"GAAAHH!" Knoll got down to the floor and started coughing again.

Metus started peeling off the human body around him, slowly showing a black blob that was shaped like a human but drenched in blood.

Knoll got back up and saw Metus' new form: he looked like a completely black Human-shaped blob that was dripping his form the whole time. All of the blood concentrated on the facial area, and formed three eyes.

Metus motioned his left arm to Knoll, and suddenly his arm stretched, grew and grabbed Knoll.

Crunch!

"AAAHHHH!" Knoll felt his body being crushed by the force.

"Alright then, let me tell you something good: When you came to this world you had an increase in your physical strength. However, that was not the only bonus you received. In order to make you strong enough to save this world, The Interferer said that something in your mind was taken from you. Pieces of your emotions and your sanity were sealed away to make sure you would be able to do the things necessary in order to save the world."

Metus' eyes started to glow again. "I can see into your memories; you were surprised that you had no reaction to killing others, but you only felt fear one time near your death. Despite all the dangerous things you have been doing since that event, you felt no sense of fear in risking your life. Why? Because the moment you came into this world, you started to slowly lose your sanity!"

"Wh-What?!"

"Unfortunately, as long as Chronos is around, you can't go all psycho on anyone. But haven't you noticed? A man from your world killing people without a single shred of remorse, the same man risking his life to make sure fictional people live? Making crazy decisions based not on your well being, but based on the story?"

Knoll then remembered how he was worrying about Lucina's absence. He also remembered the time he risked both his and Ricken's life just so Ricken could save Miriel like the story. And now he charged into an evil cult's lair just for two random characters.

Metus cut off his thoughts by saying, "The longer you stay with Chronos, the longer you will become his puppet. That is far worse than being a psycho, but don't worry, I'm just going to knock you out unconscious and bring you to the Interferer."

Metus tightened his grip on Knoll. As Knoll screamed, a sizzling burning sound was heard.

Metus wailed in pain, "AGGGHH!"

Knoll was released and he quickly got back to his feet. He saw a huge hole in the arm that grabbed him. He then noticed a glow around his chest.

Despite his original thought, the glow didn't come from the necklace Chronos gave him, but it came from one of his pockets.

He took out the object and his eyes widened at what he was holding: a distortion stone.

* * *

=Flashback=

"Uh, quick question, how did they get here?" Knoll asked.

"Here." Fortuna tossed an odd, blueish-green rock to Knoll. "The Assassin with Dual Crossbows, snuck in here early and destroyed our Distortion Rune." She explained.

"Uh, what is that again?"

Everyone in the room sighed, but Fortuna continued, "The Distortion Rune is a huge boulder placed in the castle grounds to prevent a large warping spell from entering here. The stone was destroyed by arrows the same as the Crossbow assassin held, and I am assuming the Ugly Sorcerer had prepared a giant warp spell to send everyone into the castle as soon as it was broken."

Knoll nodded understanding how it happened in game. He put the stone in his pocket.

=End of flashback=

* * *

The stone glowed dimly in Knoll's palm. He had a way to fight back.

"What caused my hand to burn?!" Metus screamed as his hand slowly healed.

"Don't care, but let's see how this baby works!" taking a running position, Knoll jumped off with incredible speed and punched Metus in the right cheek with the stone. Knoll pulled of the Pouncing Wolf trick again with a better execution.

Metus was sent flying and crashed into the wall. The same sizzling noise was heard as the part where Knoll hit started to burn. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Metus rolled in pain clutching the burning spot.

"YOU"LL PAY FOR THAT!" Metus stretched his hand and attempted to grab Knoll again with a giant fist. However, Knoll held the stone between both his arms and swung them hard at the giant hand. Knoll hammered the arm away into another wall within the room; it also shook the entire room a little.

"UGH!" Metus screamed in pain as his hand once again was burning.

Knoll then charged at Metus ready to punch again. Metus turned into some kind of liquid and dropped into the floor to avoid the attack. Metus then retreated over to Nowi.

"ENOUGH! I wanted to save the best for last, but it looks like I'm going to have to end this a little early." Metus made a hand symbol and the seals around Nowi started to glow.

"What are you going to do?!" Knoll tried to get to Metus and Nowi but a force field appeared right at the edge of the seal.

"I possessed that weak human to gain a better physical connection to this world. If I were to possess a Dragon, I would have enough power to rival the Elemental Spirits! And the first thing I will do is burn you alive! HAHAHA! –Yurementanicxol…"

Nowi woke up and started screaming as her body was slowly being overcome with Metus' black goo.

Knoll thought fast and started punching the force field with the stone. It was breaking, but Knoll's fist was starting to bleed. Knoll punched viciously for a few seconds before breaking through the barrier with a broken fist.

"NO! I need more time!" Metus screamed.

Knoll tossed the stone to his free hand and ran straight to Metus. He Jumped and punched Metus on his third eye with everything he had left.

Boom!

Because of Knoll's super strength, a large crater appeared from the impact of Metus. His eyes vanished from his body and he turned into liquid and melted away.

"AhhhHHHhhh. You- you destroyed my physical connection to this world! I will not forget this Knoll Highlander! When we meet again I will make you suffer for the rest of eternality in your own worst nightmare! You will never know sanity again! Mark my words, Restorer! I will keep my promise!" Metus' voice faded away into the darkness.

Knoll looked back and saw the seals fade away. A bright flower enveloped Nowi and she turned back into a little girl. Knoll fell down on his knees and held his broken arm, with a broken arm and damaged body from being crushed. Knoll wondered how he was going to get out of here with Nowi and Gregor.

"BARK BARK!"

"It around here!" A deep and gruff voice said with a thick accent.

"Knoll!"

Knoll saw Chrom, Frederick, Streaky, and Gregor come in.

Feeling tired, Knoll closed his eyes and fell down. Before he could touch the ground, Frederick swooped in and caught him.

"Is little girl alright?" Gregor asked with Chrom.

"She is fine, just unconscious." Chrom said then he looked to Knoll, "Frederick?"

Frederick looked uneasily at Streaky before responding to Chrom, "Most of his body has been injured I estimate more than several broken bones, we need a healer immediately!"

They quickly called the nearest healer.

For now, Knoll would rest up and heal after a vicious fight. But as he rested, a black crow with green eyes had witnessed everything. It flew out of the fort and disappeared into the sun.

(End music)

* * *

**I am so sorry. I blame the anime Gintama, for being so good to watch.**

**So sorry again. I really was distracted by everything in this.**

**My notes on the story: Death of Zeta platoon. This is the first group of allies to die around Knoll and they won't be the last. It might come late, but people will die.**

**Metus: He was introduced a little while ago. And if you know my patterns, you would know that Metus is Latin for fear. The Spirit of Fear is named after fear. Haha redundancy.**

**Guess what I found out about Frederick? Apparently I just saw his supports with Panne, and he has a traumatic experience with wolves! Why did I not know this?! Now I have to somehow work that in the next story or something or re write something in my early chapters.**

**It looks like a new revelation is revealed: Is Knoll slowly losing his sanity and free will to Chronos to save the world? The brain damage wasn't natural at all! How will this affect Knoll's relationship with Chronos now?**

**Why does the Distortion Stone hurt Spirits?**

**Oops, I have got to stop asking questions at the end of my author's notes.**

**So I'll end with a quote from Henry David Thoreau.**

_Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.__  
_

**Sorry again for the slow upload and thank you for your time.**


	16. Update 16

**Hey guys what's up?**

**It's me because my Author notes are right "above" my story!**

**Get it? *Nudge* Nudge* Wink***

**Fine, don't need your laughs! I already have plenty of your pity!**

**God that sounded terrible, but I'm getting off topic.**

**Just a bit off heads up on this chapter: 90 percent of this chapter is dialogue and 20 percent plot development. Just like every one of my chapters.**

**I haven't done this in a while so here is a disclaimer.**

"**I don't own Fire Emblem's Characters. I only own my original characters in the story. Please support the official release."**

* * *

UPDATE # 16

SYSTEM RESTORATION UNDER REBOOT.

RESTORING PROCESS ENDING SOON.

ANOMALY DETECTED.

ERROR.

TEMPORAL FILES CORRUPTED: CHARACTER TRUAMA.

CONTINUING…

…

…

ERROR.

MODE: OVERVEIW.

* * *

"Uhh…" Everything is so groggy; I can barely keep my eyes open.

+_You're awake!*Sigh* I'm glad…_+

(…Chro-Chronos?)

+_Knoll what happened to you? When I came back, I detected a terrible energy spike,_ _and when I got to you, you were injured badly and mentally stressed._+

(I learned a lot…)

+_If you're too tired, you could let me see your memory._+

(Wait… please… not yet.)

+_Knoll… what did you learn?_+

(I'm still trying to process that myself. I'm going to try and wake up now. Please give me a while.)

I open my eyes one more time, and I see the top of a white tent. I look around and see some kind of medical tent. If we are going to go to chapter 9 soon then I'm the first one here.

I look over to a nearby chair and I notice a new cloak. My old one vanished with Lance when he carried Wendy's body to their deaths. This cloak was blue.

+_I noticed you didn't have your cloak anymore, so I decided to give you a new one. This is better suited to last any extreme temperature hot or cold._+

(Thanks… Hey Chronos? I can trust you right?)

+_? I see… Knoll, I am a former guardian of time. Despite my failures, I swore to protect and care for mortals to honor a good friend. I don't know what happened, but if you don't want to show me what happened then I understand._+

(… Alright, you see…

…

…)

+_First off, don't blame yourself. You were dealing with powers beyond your understanding. It's both a mix of luck and skill that helped you live through what you were able to survive through. Two, I have no intention of turning you into a puppet and I also didn't know how you were "tweaked" in order to come to this world. It's rather odd how the Interferer knew that, but that's for me to figure out later. Third, I need to re study how spirits work in this world. Lastly, the stone you had is on that table. I'll have to research that topic later. All in all, Knoll, don't blame yourself for that. If anyone is to blame, it is the Interferer. This gives us more of a reason to stopping him._+

(Thanks Chronos.)

I get up and put on my new cloak and I head out of the tent.

Well this doesn't look good.

Everyone is running around crying out orders of weapon placement and proper saddling of horse and pegasi. Knights were suiting up, and soldiers were sharpening their weapons. I mean it looks like we're going to war soon.

… Hey, my terrible sense of humor is back.

"Knoll you're awake!"

Now who said that? Oh hello Lucile… hey is that?

"Oh hey Lucile, looking good! Are you trying a new look to impress Chrom?" She is wearing her grandmaster uniform. I forgot the master seals where in the last town.

"Wha- For the last time, we are just friends!" Lucile protested with a red face. She inhaled and put on a more serious face. "We will reach the execution grounds within a day and right before the appointed time. You remember the plan right?"

"Yeah." I think I was half asleep in that war council, but I know the story.

"Hey, where did you get that cloak?" Lucile pointed at my new bright blue clothing.

Time to make up stories. "I bought this a while back at Nagon Rue." Brilliant.

"I thought you spent all of your money buying a fake hat."

Dang it!

"I-I mean the last time we were there not the first time."

"But that time you had Fortuna pay for your date."

Why must you be so smart!? Wait a sec…

"Wait wait wait, what do you mean date? I just tricked her into treating an orphan to dinner." Yes, Yes! Distract her with another topic!

"Oh right silly me…" She started chuckling. Oh wait… She is teasing me now isn't she? Clever girl.

Lucile and I started walking among everyone getting ready. I assumed she was going to another war council or something, but then I remembered something. "So… what happened after I was knocked out?"

Lucile looked at me first a little scared to say something, "Knoll, Mirt came to us and reported what happened. As soon as he did, more reports came on how the same Grimleal were attacking the nearby villages. The Shepherds went to the area Mirt described and we were attacked by the Grimleal there…"

Lucile looks at me for a moment. "The dragon girl, Nowi the manakete, said that Zeta platoon died under your command."

… Right they all died because of me… that really sucks.

"Back to what I was trying to say… When we were attacked, an arrow was aimed right for me and I didn't even see it, but Mirt did…"

No... "Wait, are you telling me…"

"Sorry Knoll, he died saving my life. The arrow impaled him in the neck."

… It may be indirect, but he was still under my command wasn't he?

"… Looks like I'm not meant to lead after all. I wanted to apologize to Mirt, but… Hey, what happened to Nowi anyway?" I'll try to visit their families after the war.

"For now she is care with Gregor. After the war is over, Gregor will probably bring her to her home or something."

Stop! Something isn't right with that sentence.

"Wait care? But she is a big hulking dragon! Can't she help us in the upcoming fight?!"

+_Oh no…_+

(Chronos?)

Lucile sighs, "I wish, but the poor girl was traumatized. When we were about to leave, she begged to stay with us because she was so scared of being alone. The poor girl seems so fragile right now. If you would walk up to her she would run away scared. Even if she is a dragon, she is too afraid to get out of her tent."

(What happened to Nowi?!)

Lucile continued on. "While we were attacking the fort, we came across a prisoner named Gregor. He was trying to protect Nowi a little earlier before they were captured by those odd Grimleal. He led us to you and Nowi after the fighting was done. Gregor was a mercenary and offered his services to us to help Nowi survive the fight. We do have a new soldier, but his main job is to protect a special civilian."

+_Did Metus' influence affect Nowi's Character? That doesn't bode well._+

"Do you think I can meet with her?"

Lucile pointed to a black tent nearby. I thanked Lucile and walked slowly towards the tent.

(Metus influencing a change in Nowi? How did that happen?!)

+_He is the Spirit of Fear remember? His influence or attack to possess Nowi must have damaged her mind. Her cheery personality from the game has been replaced with a scared little girl._+

(If it was from a spirit, can't you do anything?!)

+_I'll have to check how much of her mind was touched by the spirit, but first thing first, meet with her._+

I stop right outside the tent. Since I might scare her by simply going in, I decide to just greet first. "Uh, hey! Nowi? It's me Knoll. Can I come in?"

…

Well I tried better luck next-

+_Go in there!_+

Fine fine.

I went in the tent and I saw a shivering object hiding beneath a blanket.

"Hey Nowi you alright?"

"…You're Knoll right?" she spoke with a soft voice. It really doesn't fit her original character.

"Yep… Sorry for coming so late in trying to help you."

"Thank you for stopping that thing. I don't remember much, but I remember being so scared. It hurt so much." She said muffled under the blanket.

"Hey mind talking to me face to face. It feels hard to talk to a talking piece of cloth."

Nowi peeked her head out of the blanket. Wow she looks like one of those cute little anime girls. Wait as sec…

+_Yea what is it with you and little girls? Like Lala, Maci, and now Nowi? Are you by chance a-_+

(NO! NO! NO! I am NOT A pedophile! CURSE YOU UNIVERSE FOR MAKING ME REALIZE WHAT YOU"RE DOING TO ME!)

+_Hey…_ _You scared Nowi again._+

(What the Cupcake!?)

"H- hey sorry about that just a muscle spasm form my fight with Metus. I didn't mean to scare you."

"… Is Metus dead?" Nowi asked, still under the bed sheet.

"Sorry, he got away. Don't worry though, he is going to be gunning after me now, and if that dastard ever gets to you, he'll have to go through each and everyone here."

She peeked out her head again. "Everyone?"

"Well yeah! Everyone here is the friendliest people in the world. Just ask them and they will fight for you with every ounce of their strength, but don't lend them any money. They are all a bunch of cheap dastards…"

+_It's not their fault you keep losing money._+

Nowi asked, "Will they really?"

"Nowi, I want you to remember something: it's ok to be afraid."

Wow those are some big eyes, but I better continue. "I mean, I was also very scared."

Nowi finally sits up right and gets her entire head out of the blanket.

"Look, we feel fear because we all want to live that's normal. But when you're fighting for something, you need to set aside your fear and go for what you believe in…" Looks like meeting Metus wasn't a total waste after all. I forgot what ever doesn't kill you makes you stronger or stranger in the Joker's words.

"I-I don't think I can do that…" Nowi looks down.

"Don't worry." I smile real hard and make a silly face. "Courage is a lot stronger than fear. I trust you'll be able to summon it when you need it."

"Why do you say such nice things to me?"

…

"Because… I… *Sigh* Truth be told, I had a lot of people to look up to growing up. Despite their many hardships, they always pulled through. By now it's a cliché, but I still have some of their beliefs in my heart."

+_You're talking about your family, the fictional heroes that inspired you as a kid, and… these people too, aren't you?_+

"Wow, I wish I had your life." Nowi says.

I pat her on the head and I say, "I wish I could be Chrom, but we can only be ourselves."

Nowi giggles. "OK, quit it you're sounding like a fortune cookie."

They have those here?

+ _I think they can be found as a snack in Chon'sin._+

(But isn't a fortune cookie Chinese and Chon'sin related to Japan?)

"Fine fine, but hey, just be yourself and smile because you're a lot more fun to talk to when you're smiling and not under a blanket."

Nowi smiles and starts blushing, which looks really cute- Oh gosh, I think I'm blushing now.

Whoa! What's grabbing my waist?! Err, Nowi is hugging me now. Oh this is so awkward.

"Thank you, Knoll."

Feeling my face completely red, I just pat Nowi in the head.

"Hello, Nowi? Gregor asked me to che-…"

Fortuna? Oh Sunnuva-

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Woman, put that spear down!

"No Fortuna you missundersta-"

* * *

+_Outstanding, waking up twice on the same bed in the same day. Is there some kind of award for something like this? Like Ylisse's Funniest Home Videos or whatever major media they have?_+

(Chronos… You're lucky my head hurts like crazy.)

I get up again from the bed and I see- Oh whoop de doo.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Um, Fortuna? Aren't you going to apologize to Knoll now?" Nowi asks.

So here I am back in the tent I woke up from, and the first thing I see is a hot chick looking angrily at me. With a slightly less traumatized little girl sitting right beside her.

The awkward silence a while ago was simply Fortuna and I staring at each other blankly.

"…I'm sorry." She continues to glare at me.

At least _try_ to sound sincere! "It's fine." No it isn't, I'm mad! But this girl is scarier when she is mad.

Fortuna continues to glare at me and says, "What is it with you and little girls?"

Oh goodness no. "That is a cruel coincidence!" I shout pointing to her face and scaring both Nowi and her for a moment. "I mean, *Cough* that's just coincidence."

They both stare at me weirdly. Well this is awkward.

I get off the cot-bed thing and I say to them, "Well I'm going to get ready now. I'll reequip and see you two girls later. Bye!"

+_Wow… That was painful to watch._+

(Shut it. Now where is that wolf friend of mine?)

* * *

…

+_I can't believe you don't even know where you were assigned to sleep in. Today just isn't your day._+

(It's not my fault that I wasn't told where I was staying. I think Frederick expected me and… To come back early.)

Despite my grumbling, Chronos remained eerily silent for a while.

+_… Knoll, I can't fix the damage on Nowi._+

I stop under an oasis tree and begin a long conversation.

(What do you mean you can't fix? She already seems fine.)

+_Isn't she supposed to be some kind of hyperactive child?_+

(Maybe… I dunno-yeah?)

+_She seems fine, but she isn't back to herself. No one every truly heals from a mental trauma. Nowi's original personality has been destroyed from a cheery upbeat kid to a more shy and scared girl or to a lesser mix between Yarne and Oliva._+

(But a spirit caused that! Can't you remove his influence or something?)

+_If it was some normal possession, then I could easily cure and restore her. However, you interrupted the possession ceremony._+

(What? You mean it's my fault she is like that?)

+_A little, dragons are born with a mystic connection to the world and the elements which allows them to live such long lives. The reason Metus needed a ceremony to properly possess a dragon is because he probably wanted to accesses the life force of a dragon._+

(You lost me after "A.")

+_Spirits were never alive. We have only existed to serve those that existed in the physical plane. Because of the endless servitude, they must have developed a craving to live. It's a bad analogy, but think of it like having someone work at a restaurant that serves only their favorite food and not being able to eat it while they work._+

(Umm fried chicken… I haven't had that in a while.)

+_Concentrate! This ties in because when a spirit simply posses a being like a human, they "wear" them. Like how it's still a spirit inside a human being. They can't tap into the life force or power of whatever they possess. That is why even though the boss of chapter 8 is a mage, Metus couldn't use his host's dark magic. Of course, he would have no need to; however, dragons or manaketes here have a different form of life force._+

(My head hurts but I think I'm getting it. I would imagine dragons do have a different life force but how?)

+_Life force usually fades away. What you call "aging" is simply loss of life force. In a dragon, however, their life force actually grows even at the point of death. While most beings' life force fade away, these dragons' life force well up, so when they die, their life force goes to everything around it in a hundred or so mile radius. Metus created a proper possession ritual so he could be truly feeling a life force._+

(It kinda sounds like I denied him the right to live.)

+_That's a good thing. He was trying to "live" by taking another's life. If he was successful in possessing, then that life force would multiply his power tenfold, and it would only grow the longer he would possess it. _+

(How exactly do you know that?)

+_…First, let me answer the question on why I can't cure Nowi. The ritual, as I said, was made in such a way that made the user control over the victim's mind, body, and soul. I recognize it from your memory because there are similar spells and similarities to other control spells in different universes._+

(Hey wait a sec! You said that you sealed your memory!)

+_I sealed my memory on events: like people's lives and major events that change said people. My knowledge on fighting and other useful memories I don't seal away. Now stop interrupting me. Metus started the ritual, but you interrupted him. A piece of Metus' power was able to go into Nowi and etched into her subconscious, the first place control spells target. When you broke the spell, you separated a piece of his power from him and it latched onto Nowi's subconscious. This is why she became so scared of almost everything because Metus' power caused Nowi's fear to amplify. I can't banish such an influence from her mind because it his spread to deep into her mind. If Metus himself was possessing Nowi then he would be easy to remove because by banishing Metus' mind his entire power goes with him. In this case, a piece of his power is now living in her mind and I can't banish it because it has attached itself into her metal state. If I try to remove it now, I'll be removing a huge chunk piece of her of her mind._+

(OK, so why is she less scared now?)

+_Two theories: first, it has assimilated into her and simply become a part of her mental state which she could control easily._+

(So you mean she learned to live with it?)

+_Second, your little pep talk inspired something that permanently weakened its power._+

(… Really? What?)

+ _Courage, You inspired Nowi to face her fears and gave her courage. Courage is the opposite of fear._ _Think of it like Yin and Yang where two opposites always balance each other._+

(So if she gains more courage she can get rid of it?)

+_No. It can only be weakened in this state. It can't be removed. At least by what I know._+

(…. Can you answer how you knew life force can increase a spirit's power?)

+_Well this world's spirits are similar to us former guardians. When there are similar things in different worlds, I refer to them as "Parallels."_ _ You see, I know life force will increase any energy because I also had my powers increased by life force. I won't tell you that story or how it works that's for another day._+

I look into my pocket and pick up the greenish-blue and smooth Distortion Stone.

(What about this thing?)

+_I haven't gotten to analyzing it yet. Though… never mind, I'm just thinking about theories._+

Well I guess it's time to find that tent of mine.

+_By the way I think that's your tent, the one Streaky just came out of._+

I looked over to see a green tent a good four feet from where I was standing. Streak looked to me and barked.

(I was right next to it? I circled around this tent for ten minutes!)

+_Enough whining and do what everyone else here is preparing for: man slaughtering man over a woman._+

(Can you not say it like that?)

+_I learned it from you… Jerk._+

(Ehehe, not one of my finest moments.)

+_You have moments?_+

(I'm going to prepare for war now.)

Let's just go in the tent and… Hello?

Is that an origami bird on my pillow?

+_There is something written on it. Open it up._+

Hmm… it just says "Prepare for cold weather."

The dessert is only cold at night though.

+_Maybe we should ask Streaky if she saw anyone mysterious enter here_.+

(How are you going to do that? If Streaky could talk then we would be able to found out where she is from and what she is.)

+_Wait… Panne said that Streak seemed unusually sentient. If you can put my necklace around her then maybe I can look into her memories._+

(What do you mean "maybe"?)

+_I usually need permission to enter someone's memories because there would be resistance if tried to barge in there, not to mention any potential damages if I struggle in there. My best bet is to wait until that creature sleeps. Now place your magical bling upon your enigmatic Canis Lupus._+

(Wha?)

+_Knoll just put me on the wolf, before I start talking like you for the rest of the adventure._+

(Aww, I'm rubbing of you.)

+_Put me on the dog!_+

Alrighty then, "Hey Streaky… Come here girl I just need to-"

*Chomp!*

…

…

Did she just bite my necklace and run away?

Well the necklace is now closer to her brain, so how is it there Chronos?

… Chronos?

Aww poopy.

"Streaky Come back here!"

Shoot, where did she go? She is acting like a dog now, which is insanely bad timing.

Let's go in that tent and ask them if they saw Streaky. "Hey have you- Never mind good luck!"

Why was I next to the command tent? You know the one where all the major characters were talking about the main plot?

"Ahh wait Knoll!" I see a hand on my shoulder clad in a blue armor.

"Hey Frederick? What's up?"

"I'm glad you woke up, but we need you to gather the other Shepherds forthwith. We received word that the execution time has been shortened. We are mobilizing everyone now."

Oh not now.

* * *

=Meanwhile with Chronos=

We find Chronos himself, still in a form of a large blue anaconda, studying the temple the Shepherds previously discovered. He was watching an orb that depicted what would be the inside of a wolf's mouth.

"How odd… The brain should be right above the mouth… and all this drool, but why can't I try to communicate with this being? In fact, this energy seems eerily familiar… Where is this wolf taking this device?" Chronos wondered. HE failed to notice a being walk behind him.

"My my, weren't you careless.*Snap*"

Before Chronos could react, a magic circle appeared beneath him. A bright flash enveloped him and he disappeared.

"I'm glad I got to you before they did… Oh dear, I have a lot of work cut out for me. I just hope A.T. can do the job properly. Now I have to check on "the new player." Why do things have to be so hard for me?"

A loud noise could be heard deep from within the temple.

"… I should disappear as well." The man(?) takes one look into the sky before saying, "Does the end _Truly_ justify the means?" he then steps forward and vanishes in the air.

A loud roar is heard from the temple along with an ear piercing screech.

* * *

**Here you go folks a short little calm-before-the-storm chapter before I have to right another chapter filled with fight sequences… go me.**

**(Audio file: Sigh here)**

**A little short simply because there some things I'm working over the week that and I felt terrible for making you all wait so long before.**

**Now the thing about this chapter can basically be summed in a few words:**

**I made Nowi OOC.**

**Now hear(or read) me out before you rage quit this story.**

**As you probably know(or not) I do want to be original and I saw a lot of self insert having some of the main characters/Shepherds die. To be honest I might (emphasis on the ambiguity of "might") also do this; however, until the appointed time, I hope that some of my events will change some of the original characters of people. (I was also pretty bad in depicting how I thought the characters really were already so…)**

**Since one of the themes of this story is fixing things up. Things will have to break, even characters and personalities and Nowi's personality is just the beginning. (I just noticed I have a lot of parentheses in this author's note.) **

**As I said in my earlier chapters, I do have a lot of plans on branching out. I just hope I can organize them all well enough to fit in this story.**

**Let me apologize for this chapter being strictly dialogue and little plot development. I do have a nasty habit of procrastinating that I am trying to discipline out of.**

**So it is time to end my thoughts here with a little fun quotes. I like ending things with a nice note.**

_"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"__— __Dr. Seuss_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	17. Update 17

UPDATE # 17

COOLING SYSTEMS: ONLINE.

TEMPERATURE STATUS: OVERHEATING…

UNKNOWN TEMPORAL SPIKE DETECTED.

INITIATING SUB ROUTINES.

ACTIVATING…

BOOSTING PROCESSING SPEED AND OVERALL PERFORMANCE.

OVERVEIW DISABLED.

* * *

The day was hot.

People were sweating under thick armor and since they were carrying heavy weapons, it only increased their burden. However, all soldiers knew if they removed one piece of their armor then they could all potentially die, but there was also the threat of potential heat stroke killing them as well.

So if one would not die in battle, they might die of heat.

We zoom into the King of Scarecro- *Error* King of Plegia.

* * *

"Finally, we will have JUSTICE! EXECUTIONER! If you would be so kind…" Despite the heat and his sweat on his head, Gangrel was still ecstatic.

The executioner raised his axe.

"Flavia!"

"I've got him!" Flavia threw what should have been a lucky shot from across the battlefield.

(Bull!) Knoll thought, (What happened to this fifty-foot wall that is right here between us!? And that angle was nowhere near where we were.)

Lucile gave the command "EVERYONE: NOW!"

Chrom lead in the front lines, "Take out all the soldiers first! We'll Deal with the Mad King later!"

"Oh will you now? Bwa ha! We've been expecting you, Little Prince. Men: Kill him. Kill his sister. Kill his troops and his friends and anyone else you can find! KILLL THEEM ALLLLL!"

The Army got ready to charge at the Shepherds.

"Wait! One more thing!" The Mad King had one last message.

(That wasn't in the game.) Knoll wondered as he wiped his for head. His new cloak helped him feel fine, but for some reason he was sweating on his forehead.

"Find the blasted fool who made fun of me a while back! Cut off his limbs or whatever, but make sure he is alive! So I can kill him by ripping out his fat tongue and shoving it down his throat for him to choke to death on!"

"*Double facepalm*" Knoll did do, but he was holding two blades in both his arms, so he hit his face with two heavy pieces of steel. "Oww…"

The enemy army then charged at the Ylissean army at crazy speed. The Shepherds lead the charge in the front lines.

* * *

[Recommended music- Martin Hasseldam- Gods Of Protection]

One fell, two fell, and three fell.

In one moment, a powerful swordsman cut through a group of soldiers trying to stop him and his allies from their goal.

"Lon'qu wait up! *Huff Huff*"

And one lesser soldier asked to stay with the warrior.

"Just follow my lead and keep up." The stoic warrior said as he kicked sand into the eyes of a nearby soldier; Lon'qu then slashed him.

Two more warriors were trying to flank Lon'qu to his left, but both of them had a streak of sand hit their eyes. Knoll then came in right between them and circled slashed their legs off.

Lon'qu smirked and went to find his next prey.

Both swordsmen were now surrounded by a small group of soldiers. The two Shepherds were back to back until several javelins fell down and killed the front half of the circle. They both then looked to the sky and saw their trio Pegasi Knights and went back into the fray.

The trio in the sky had to deal with incoming wyverns.

The wyvern knights came in and started throwing axes at the fliers and they were separated. Sumia dodged a short axe from a nearby Wyvern rider; she flew up and stabbed him.

Two wyvern riders then charged at Sumia; they both tried to flank her, but an axe hit one of the riders and a lance hit the neck of the other wyvern, which caused both of them to fall down right on a group of enemy mercenaries. Sumia looked down and saw Vaike waving. Sumia nodded and went back to assist Cordelia and Fortuna.

Vaike was caught off guard and a thief came up to him, but the thief was knocked away by some unknown force.

"Huh?" Vaike asked as he rubbed his head.

"Vaike, pay attention." A soft voice said.

"I wonder what happened? Maybe the Teach is too much for them!" Vaike cheered.

Unfortunately, the guy who is forgotten a lot is partnered up with the one who forgets a lot. Poor Kellam could only sigh in sadness.

Archers then lined up and prepared to fire a volley at the (two). Vaike and Kellam got ready to dodge/block the incoming volley, but before the enemy archers could prepare their first bow, they got hit by carefully aimed arrows.

"Impressive to make such shots, Man-spawn."

Vaike (and Kellam) looked behind and saw Virion next to Panne in her beast form.

"Must you truly doubt Virion? The Archest of Archers!?" Virion shouted.

"Hey guys, Dark mages at 3:00!" Vaike yelled.

A group of dark mages launched a volley of flux spells at them. The four took cover behind a boulder.

"Can you take them out from here?" Kellam asked. Virion only shook his head.

"*Sniff* Sniff* a sense a familiar scent." Panne said after sniffing the air.

Right behind the dark mages, there were two red blurs. At first, what appeared to be a red line would appear on one side of a mage; when it would pass by, a burst of red exploded from a mage. One last dark mage saw his group die in matter of seconds; he panicked and frantically tried to find who did that to his group.

Then he felt something odd in his chest; he looked down and saw two blades pointing out of his chest. Both blades were removed and he fell down.

"There, I had six so I win!"

"Wait a sec, that last one was mine. I won our little bet, Pickpocket."

"Oh, come now Gaius, just pay me the gold and take it like a man."

While Anna and Gaius are making a new bet into how much they can kill in this fight, let's move a little behind the front lines.

"Ugah!" A man flew away by a large gust of magic.

"Nice one!"

"Thanks!"

The enemy looked; frustrated, one mercenary said, "Are we really being beaten by a bunch of kids?! Kids that are wearing a huge poufy hat and a pot on his head?!"

"HEY!?" Both Donnel and Ricken yelled feeling insulted by their "head gear".

"Screw it! Charge!" A bunch of fighters and mercenaries attacked the two young boys.

Both kids ducked in cover, preparing themselves for the end.

The enemies jumped and landed their weapons on- the sand? "Oi!? Where'd those brats go?"

"Maybe they were never here in the first place…"

"Shut up, Adam."

The enemy group started to argue until…

"Ehm!"

They all turned around to see two girls, a clear and a troubadour, on a rock. Right below the young girls were the two boys making mocking faces at the enemies.

"What- but- how!?" One Fighter asked.

A mercenary started running quickly towards them, "You oafs! They have rescue staves! Hurry and kill them all before they summon more reinforcements!"

"Lissa darling, it appears one of them isn't as uneducated as his fellow plebians."

"Well too bad for them!"

Lissa and Maribelle activated the Rescue Staves and two lights came right across beside Donnel and Ricken.

"Boy, did you dastards get the short end of the stick."

Sully, Miriel, and Stahl appeared from the light and positioned themselves with Donnel and Ricken.

While they engaged, in the very front lines a powerful trio was pushing back the enemy.

When wyvern riders got close to the front line, they were zapped by powerful electric magic.

When soldiers or other land troops got close, they would either be speared over or slashed.

"Everyone swarm them!" A mercenary yelled.

An axe man jumped and tried to strike from the sky, but a lance impaled his neck in mid air.

Frederick threw away the body and prepared for the next fighter. An archer shot an arrow to him; Frederick blocked it with his shoulder pad and threw a javelin that was attached to his horse.

Then a thief came up trying to aim for his horse, expecting the heavy-plated animal to be extra sluggish on the sand, but he was struck by lightning on a bright and sunny day.

"Thank you, Lucile."

Lucile came by. "We are pushing them back- hey where is Chrom?"

Both of them saw a Wyvern coming their way; they prepared to fight it until they saw it was crashing right towards them.

They both got out of the way and just before it crashed someone came of the wyvern.

"How did Knoll make it look easy?" A man in blue said as he rubbed his head.

"Milord?! Why would you do such a thing!?" Frederick asked frantically.

"Oh uh, I didn't mean to. I timed one of my jump attacks wrong and ended up riding one of those things." Chrom said. "Not one of my favorite moments. Ehrm! Lucile, what's the status?"

"So far we are pushing them back, but I received word that they are soon bringing heavy fire-"

BOOM! BOOM!

"Ballistas!"

A loud voice came from across the battlefield. "THAT"S RIGHT SQUIRM, SQUIRM YLISSEAN SCUM!"

The Shepherds lost their advance and retreated behind the large wall of the oddly designed war court yard.

Chrom looked to his tactician, "Any ideas?"

"Other than pushing Knoll out there as a distraction because of his knack of attracting trouble and barley surviving each near death experience?" Lucile joked.

"BULL!" Knoll's voice was heard above the booming and flying giant arrows.

Chrom sweat dropped. "Not a good option to try and sacrifice someone."

Lucile sighed. "I know, but we need a way to distract their fire. Their wyvern knights prevent our fliers from getting close enough without heavy casualties.

Boom!

Knoll came up to Lucile and Chrom, "Hey, we are over here; why are they firing all the way over there?"

Lucile looked shock, "Someone, get me a telescope now!"

"Lucile, what's the matter?" Chrom asked as a soldier gave Lucile a telescope.

Knoll then remembered something important and as he did, Lucile said, "There is another army out there!"

"What?! But Flavia's forces are at a different point and Basillio's force is…" Chrom said as he looked to where the fire was now concentrated at and where some of the enemy forces were diverging to attack.

"They look like clerks…" Frederick said.

"Captain, aren't they from Ylisse?! I mean, aren't those the symbols of the Naga priests?" Knoll knew who those people were and hoped maybe Libra wouldn't be the only survivor.

"Lucile?" Chrom asked.

Lucile held her chin. "There are still too many forces; if only we had enough firepower to-"

ROOOAAARRR!

Fssh… BOOOOMM!

"*Howl!*"

"I recognize that howl and roar! It's Nowi and Streaky!"

Everyone looked to the sky and saw a beautiful green dragon firing powerful fire blast at the enemy forces, and on that dragon were two figures a tall and strong built man with a black wolf.

Lucile took this opportunity. "Fliers! Support Nowi and head for the Ballistas! Ground army, save the clerics and get back with us ASAP!"

The Shepherds split up all using the small window they had to turn back the fight in their favor.

A good chunk of the Shepherds split off from each other.

While Chrom and Lucile lead the half that went to save the surviving clerks, Knoll was stuck with the short end of the stick again.

Because of such a short window in opportunity, Lucile sent some of the fastest users toward the ballistas. Not the ones who can move easily in the sand like mages, but those assumed to be _speedy_.

So besides the fliers and Gregor, The new speed group had to consist of Gaius, Lon'qu, Anna, Panne, and Knoll. Their job was to take out any archer trying to aim for their fliers and if they somehow reached the ballista before the fliers then they would have to destroy them.

But one problem (for Knoll) was that everything was raining down on them: axes, lances, dead riders, dead wyverns, dead riders and wyverns, and the few remaining ballista.

"I don't remember Ballista being put so far back!" Knoll said as he swerved to his right to avoid a falling axe.

"Focus." Lon'qu said and then he jumped on a falling wyvern, slashed the dead rider's helm off, grabbed it, and when he landed, a soldier tried to stab him, but Lon'qu threw the helm at his face and quickly slashed him.

(And he did that all without blinking… How did Chrom beat this guy?!) Knoll thought as he saw that badass move by Lon'qu.

A dark spell was launched at the group and they all were split from it in order to avoid it.

Knoll saw it was only one dark mage that casted that powerful dark spell.

However…

"Hey wai-"

Gaius went in trying to defeat the dark mage, but a spell was casted at him forcing Gaius to fall back. "Tch, this one is good."

Boom! Another ballista shot an arrow.

Knoll took this opportunity, "Guys! They are re positioning the ballista to us; hurry up and get to them. I'll cover this one." (Oh god I'm doing it again aren't I?)

"What? But-"

"Just go!" They all listened to Knoll.

Now our chosen hero shall defy the laws of destruction and correct the flow of the timestream.

(Oh god, I'm alone with Tharja. What have I done?!) Knoll thought as he faced down his opponent.

Tharja switched tomes and fire a powerful fire spell at Knoll he jumped away and scratched his head. (How the heck am I supposed to do this? Wait until Chrom gets here? Talk to her myself? But I completely forgot what Chrom was talking to her about.)

"You there, why do you refuse to fight?"

"Huh?"

"I overheard you telling your foolish allies that you would fight me, yet you made no move in attempting to harm me. Why?"

(Think fool!) "Uhh… Uhhh… Because I don't- I…"

Tharja just stares at the poor child. "…Looks like I'm not the only one here who isn't hesitant to fight, but obviously the only one here who doesn't have random communication seziures."

"Wait…You don't want to fight?"

"So you can utter a clear sentence. But Death comes for all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?"

"Then why don't you join us?"

"…Would you and your allies trust me? What if this is a ploy to plunge a dagger in you or your Prince's back?"

Knoll smiled. "Oh, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Well, that's odd… usually when I bring up the backstabbing bit the discussion is over. You also reek of an ominous arua… that intrigues me greatly." Tharja smiles darkly.

(Uh oh.) Knoll thought. (Wait… ominous arua?)

"All right, then- consider me your new ally… For now."

(Yes! Tharja has joined your group! Now I just have to stay away from her, so I won't be a test subject for hexes.) "Alrighty then, let's go and disable those ballistas!"

"Hmm… Was that Black Poison Scorpion always on your shoulder?"

"Wha- AAAHHH!" Knoll swatted the scorpion away. "I hate scorpions!"

"They are quite common in here. I do enjoy using their poison… hehehe. Since it can kill anything almost instantly and painfully…"

"Haha… right- um let's go now so I can introduce you to the others." Knoll started to follow the others, but before he could, he heard someone behind him.

"Knoll! Look out! Elthunder!"

Knoll quickly shouted, "Wait no-"

"Nosferatu!"

Boom!

Knoll quickly shouted, "Lucile, Captain, stand down! This person is on our side!"

"Knoll, she is a Plegian dark mage and you trust her?!" Lucile asked. Everyone from the other Shepherds was with them and Knoll saw Libra, whom really looks like hot chick.

"I know it seems crazy, but I trust her." Knoll looks at Tharja then back to Lucile.

"Alright Knoll." Chrom said as he came up. "I trust your judgment and I'll trust you as well." Chrom looked to Tharja.

"You would trust me as well? How do you know I'm not simply fooling all of you just to slit your throat while you slumber?"

"My sister, the exalt - I think she would trust you. And I'm trying to learn from her. Besides, I already need to watch my back, whether you're with us or not." Chrom replied.

"I see… So the soldiers here are like their leader. As I said to Knoll, I can say to you as well: consider me your new ally for now…"

Knoll saw Libra and started thinking. (Hmm… I need to remain this feign of ignorance!) "So it looks like we also got another new girl on the team. What's your name milady?"

"Uh… Knoll this is Libra a war _**monk**_." Chrom coughed.

"Oh… But you- I'm so sorry… sir."

"It is all in the past, and the mistake has been forgiven." Libra said but he seemed to glare at Knoll.

"Err… Captain, let's go save your sister now." Knoll turned his back and started walking.

"Right, the shots have stopped that must mean the others stopped the ballistas." Chrom said.

* * *

=A little later.=

"Uugh!" Panne was thrown back and rolled into the sand.

The enemy commander, Campari, stood tall against the Shepherds. "You'll never save your precious exalt, scum!"

Despite being heavily outnumbered, Campari was using his Dracoshield to block all attacks from his enemies.

"Oi, Dragon friend, Maybe should show heavy man Dragon power." Gregor said. He jumped of Nowi as she blasted fire right towards Campari.

Campari held the shield against the blast. "Ha! The Dracoshield doubles my already impenetrable defense. Even a Manateke's blast cannot defeat me- *Clang*"

Gregor came up and tried to strike Campari while he was screaming at Nowi, but the general parried the mercenary with his spear.

"Hey, Gregor!"

Gregor was distracted and Campari pushed him back.

The other Shepherds joined in.

"Lon'qu what's the status?" Lucile asked.

"It's too hard to hit him. The shield is amplifying his defense."

"Wait but that's a Dracoshield." Knoll asked and pointed to it.

"One of the mystical items that doubles one's fighting efficiency." Frederick explained. "The Dracoshield is known to double physical defense of the user."

"Physical defense, nothing on magic! Tharja, Ricken, Miriel!" Lucile shouted as she took out her tome.

The three launched a powerful magic blast at the general, however before making contact the large magic blast dissipated into the air.

"Haha! Lady Aversa gave me a talisman as well! I am an impenetrable wall!" Campari boasted. "You'll never save your exalt!"

Streaky came up and stood by Knoll. Knoll then noticed something as his wolf came up. Another crazy idea had formed. Knoll whispered to Streaky and sheathed one of his blades.

Chrom prepared his blade, "what can we do then-" He couldn't finish because Knoll charged straight at the General.

"Knoll?! Get Back!"

Knoll charged in first; he kicked sand toward the eyes of Campari, but Campari blocked it. Campari retaliated by trying to stab him; Knoll flipped right over Campari to avoid the lance. Right above him, Knoll tried to slash the only piece that wasn't armored: the general's head. Campari was able to position his shield to prevent the slash. When Knoll landed, Campari spun and swatted Knoll to the side.

Lucile acted quickly, "Lissa!"

"Oh right, on it!"

Campari was going to stab Knoll, but he stabbed only the sand where he was before.

Lissa had used a rescue staff to help up Knoll.

"Knoll that was stupid more so than usual! What were you thinking?!" Chrom scolded. "He has a powerful defense!"

Knoll got up and smiled, "Which is why that is his greatest weakness."

"Did I hit you in the head, scum?!" Campari shouted, "What in blazes are you talking about? You were swatted aside from that debacle!"

"Nothing can get to you, but nothing can get out of that defense as well, right?"

"What are you bl-" Campari was distracted by something and looked into his armor. His eyes widened greatly.

"Tharja, you were right. There are a lot of those scorpions here."

"Bu- but when did you-?" Campari stammered; he realized that it was during the flip when Knoll dropped a scorpion right into his armor. "AAAAHHH!" Out of fear, Campari dropped his shield and his spear to try and get the scorpion out of his armor. But when he panicked, the scorpion was startled and stung the general.

The general stopped moving and he fell down. He uttered some final words, "Urgh… Kill… Plegia's… Rage…"

[End Music]

"Ingenious, Knoll!" Chrom said. "Lucile! Their wyvern riders have fallen! The skies are clear! I'm giving the signal!"

They gave the signal and Ylisse's royal guard came quickly toward their exalt.

Phila led the charge, "Your Grace!"

"Emmeryn shouted, "Phila! I'm so glad to see you safe! But how-"

"Khan Basilio's men freed me. Come, we must hurry!" as Phila tried to go the exalt, Risen archers appeared out of nowhere.

"Risen?! Oh gods, no!" Lucile screamed. "Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!"

"Damn! Not now!"

(Ugh…) Knoll thought, knowing all too well what would be.

"Bwa Ha ha ha! Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?! Truly, the heavens smile upon mighty King Gangrel this day! Bwahahaha!" Gangrel proclaimed.

Several archers all aimed at Phila and shot her from multiple directions.

Knoll clutched his heart feeling terrible and regret in letting this happen.

"Phila!" the exalt screamed.

The archers all shot at the remaining knights killing them all with the hope of rescuing the exalt.

"I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes. Now… grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!" Gangrel demanded.

Chrom answered, "I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you."

"Hahaha! ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows! Just lay down your sword, and give me the Fire Emblem."

"…I…"

Lucile then said, "Don't give up! There has to be a way…"

"If there is, I can't see it… Ah, gods!" Chrom said.

"I will count to three. Throw down your weapons, or your exalt becomes the world's largest quiver. One!...Two!..."

"Gangrel, hold! You win. Everyone lay down yo-"

"No, wait!" A soft but loud voice silence all. "King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?"

"You mean more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not. No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people… Then prepare to meet the ground and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem…NOW!"

Chrom spoke out, "ALL RIGHT! All right… Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would have helped… But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their exalt… And we need our sister. If those days should come, we'll face them together."

Emmeryn then said, "Chrom… th-thank you. I know now what I must do…"

Chrom seemed confused "Emm, what are you-"

"Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must… As I will do. See that one selfless act has the power to change the world!" She finished with a gentle smile.

"Emm, no! NO!" Chrom started running towards this sister as she started walking off the cliff.

Knoll started to shed a few tears until…

[Music Recommended: Two Steps From Hell- Never Forget]

"GRR… BARK BARK BARK!"

Knoll looked at Streaky, whom was barking almost angrily at the sun. He wondered what was wrong and tried to look to it, but he only saw the shadow of the eagle in the cutscene.

Both shadows.

(Wait- there wasn't two eagles-) "Captain! Look out!"

Chrom stopped and looked back. Emmeryn jumped off the cliff.

SCREEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHHH!

I fierce sound echoed through the previously silent battlefield. A large blur went straight towards Emmeryn and caught her from falling.

"What's going on?!" yelled Knoll. Knowing that wasn't supposed to happen.

Everyone looked to the sky the blur had stopped, and a powerful looking Griffon Rider was seen.

The Griffon Rider was a female with short green hair and wielded an odd looking lance. Behind her was Emmeryn who looked to be knocked out cold.

"YOU! What is the meaning of this!? Who are you!? How dare you come to my kingdom uninvited!" The Mad King shouted.

"Who is that?" Lucile asked.

"I don't know." Frederick said too shocked at the events folding.

"Brr… did it suddenly get cold?" Lissa said as she rubbed her shoulders.

(Cold? Oh no!) Knoll panicked.

"ANSWER ME DAMN IT! WHO ARE YOU!" The Mad King shouted. He noticed he started seeing his breath despite being in the dessert.

The Griffon Rider only pointed her lance to the cliff Emmeryn was originally. Everyone trailed their eyes and saw someone had appeared on the cliff. Someone all too familiar to the Shepherds and the Exalt.

Lucile yelled out, "Marvo!"

The Dark Knight stretched out his arms and addressed everyone.

"Greetings, Plegians and Ylisseans!"

[Finish music by the last sentence.]

* * *

**Huh? What? Oh sorry guys, I have a lot to do this week so I'm ending this chapter here.**

**Sorry again for the long delay. I need to stop playing League after making one paragraph in wirting.**

**A little note, I had Gaius call Anna "Pickpocket" because that is what I imagine Gaius would call her because she can get money from all pockets. Now I don't know if there is an official nickname he calls her, but I couldn't find it so if anyone could tell me I would appreciate it.**

**I actually don't have a lot to say for these notes. Huh, weird.**

**So let me end this with a quote:**

_Charity, good behaviour, amiable speech, unselfishness — these by the chief sage have been declared the elements of popularity.  
__**-Burmese Proverb**_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	18. Update 18

UPDATE # 18

REPROCESSING…

CONTINUING…

OVERVEIW MODE: OFF

* * *

"Greetings, Plegians and Ylisseans!"

Marvo extended his arms for everyone to see. Even the Risen seemed curious to this new development.

"We are now taking custody of The Ylissean Exalt." Marvo said as he slowly moved his hand to hold his new blade.

Knoll eyes widened with horror as he remembered that all the Forty Assassins now had new weaponry.

"Boo! If you're not letting her die, then kill her yourself!" Gangrel screamed.

"Give me back my sister!" Chrom shouted.

"Calm down everyone. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Marvo Cold, one of the Forty Assassins. Sometimes I am referred to as "Black Ice." We have come to simply take the Exalt off your hands since both your armies are fighting over her like some child's favorite toy. So consider this a scolding for not sharing properly." Marvo joked in a mocking manner.

"I had enough of this! ARCHERS! Turn HIM into the world's largest quiver!" Gangrel commanded and all Risen and they aimed right at him. They fired a large volley heading right towards Marvo.

Despite wearing a helm, Marvo didn't look even a little worried. He unsheathed a dark and regal looking black blade. Mist seemed to come out of his scabbard when the blade was pulled out.

"BARK! BARK!" Streaky was barking madly at Marvo.

Marvo held the sword and slashed. The blade sent out a wave that instantly froze all arrows. The frozen arrows fell harmlessly into the ground and shattered in the ground.

The shattering of the arrows gave a glitter that made it seem the air was sparkling. Though even with the bright lights, the Dark Knight looked even more intimidating now.

"What in Naga's name was that unholy power?" Libra asked in awe and fear of the power.

Just like Emmeryn, Marvo had silenced both armies, but not with respect. He had inspired fear with that demonstration of otherworldly power and he wasn't done.

Marvo held his blade. "Not bad…" he then slashed again aiming right towards the Risen that shot the volley.

"Captain! Get out of the way!" Knoll screamed loudly.

Chrom returned to his senses and dodged the wave. Everyone still alive avoided the slash. When it vanished, all of the Risen were frozen solid.

"Wha- How-" Even the Mad King and his "assistant" were at a loss for words in such overwhelming power.

"That… was a warning." Marvo proclaimed. "This is a message for all Kingdoms: your reign of tyranny is over! Long have you sent many a good men to their deaths! Orphaning many under the name of a piece of land drawn on a map! No more! Our leader has supplied us the means of liberating the world! No longer shall we listen to rulers who subject us to their whims. We will form a new government! One where you, the people, shall rule! I relay my message on to all you _Kings_ and _Leaders_ this day: Your days are numbered, O grand one! I am but the first cloud in a mighty storm! And we shall strike all that dare stand in our way!"

The griffon rider came close to Marvo; they offered a spot for Marvo to ride on.

"Men! Get him! Kill Him! Kill the Ylisseans! Kill the Exalt! Don't let them escape!" The Mad King barked wildly.

Knoll ran up to Chrom. "Captain, we have to go!"

"But my sister-"

"If they wanted to kill her, then they would have, but she is still alive. Don't die here now when there is a chance to save her tomorrow!" Knoll said.

"Right… Everyone! Retreat!" Chrom gave the order and the shepherds and the others started running.

Basillio and Flavia came. Basillio said, "I secured the escape route! We are going to flee!"

"Don't let them escape!" Gangrel pounded his fist to a nearby wall.

"Adrenaline, it's time to go. Make sure the package is secure." Marvo said as he climbed on the griffon.

"Roger, sir. Hyaa!" Adrenaline flew high but just before they left, Marvo shot one last big pulse of his blade which split up the Ylisseans and the Plegains. Adrenaline then motioned her griffon to fly away.

While running, Knoll kept track of Marvo. "Hey, Frederick!? What would be in their direction?!"

"Just keep an eye on them as of now! We'll map out their destination later!" Frederick said.

As they all left, the air was filled with a cold and dark temperature making the desert feel as if it was winter.

* * *

OVERVEIW: ACTIVE.

* * *

"Alright Streaky, where is my necklace you silly dog you?" I look to my wolf friend who is simply looking back at me.

I need to talk to Chronos _**now**__._ That was never in the story. I mean I'm glad she is alive, but this screws up the timeline even more than it already was.

We are trying to escape through the chapter 10 now and by god it is cold. The rain is now incredibly cold because of Marvo's ice blast. That weapon is so overpowered! Equivalent to Falchion?! Bull! Not to mention I was warned again… The Interferer just made a powerful move.

"Streaky, please give me some hint to where it is, and don't tell me you left it at the camp where you took it originally."

Streaky just tilts her head as she sits in a caravan. I know you can understand me magic wolf! You've done it before!

"U-uh.. Kn-Knoll?"

"Yes?" oh hey it's Nowi.

"Uh… Well- I-"

"Nowi, good job on that fire blast; you really helped us all out."

"Uh, thank you… I wouldn't have wanted to if you didn't talk to me…" She seems flustered for some reason. "I decided that I'm staying with all of you!" She said in what would be her new brave face.

"Great! Welcome to the Shepherds! But I'm busy trying to interrogate my wolf into telling me where my man bling is." Well… that came out sad. I have got to stop talking like that.

"You mean your necklace?" Nowi took it out and showed it to me.

Wha- How? "Where did you get it?!" shouldn't have shouted, she looks scared now.

"Sorry." I say.

"It's fine… Uh, Streaky gave it to me when everyone was going to fight. I figured you wanted to give it to me or something… So I wore it when we were fighting back there."

"Oh, it's OK. But I really do need it back. It belongs to someone I can't stand." But I still have to share my head with him.

"Wait, you keep it because you don't like a person?" Nowi asks as she gives it to me.

"*Sigh* Well thing is he gets on my nerves and I get on his nerves, but we rely on each other to survive; just like everyone here." I wear the necklace/dogtag/hexagon-thing

(Chronos! I need your help!)

+…+

(Chronos?! Not funny! I am in dire need for you to lecture me now!)

+…+

"Um, Knoll?"

"Thank you, Nowi. I need to check up on some inventory now; see ya later!"

I walk away and try to not to panic on how Chronos isn't answering.

(Chronossssssssssss! Yeah, I'm making fun of the fact you're a snake by repeating the "sss" sound!)

+…+

(Crud, I was sure that would work. I'm afraid that the only voice I hear in my head is my own! … That was a free will quote from those crazy people in games and movies wasn't it? Specifically Portal 2, Loved it!)

+…..+

(Oh, come on!)

I bite my lower lip then I softly say, "Dang it, where are you?"

I find myself marching faster now. Everyone is saying we are almost arriving at the escape route, so we all have to hurry up.

Everything is starting to look more and more like Chapter 10, so we can expect a fight soon… that is what I would think normally, but with a screwed event from Chapter 9, I wonder what's really going to happen?

"Aaah!"

That sounds like distant screaming and clashing; are we fighting them already?! Better check with the guys on the front.

* * *

As soon as the first screams were heard, everyone stopped right there. Everyone is now preparing for a fight, but…

"Captain, did I hear right? Are the Plegians fighting amongst themselves?!"

"It's unusual but yes. Our scout saw Plegains engaging each other a little before the escape route." Chrom told me.

Basilio came up, "We need to fight them. But since they are fighting amongst themselves, it should be easy to clean up the rest of them."

Something isn't right; an easy fight? I never had an easy fight since I came here! An easy fight means something is horribly wrong! (Mental Sigh) "Sir, why are they fighting each other?"

Basilio answers, "From what we received from our Intel: the dispute is between Plegia and a new group calling themselves the "Revolutionary Army." Idiots who believed that Assassin's word on a new government in giving people power."

Wait a sec… his government that he described sounds suspiciously like democracy in my world- Oh god! Wait a sec!? I always assumed that there were pieces of my world that reflected over here, but what if The Interferer is making this world more like mine!?

Chronos, you poor excuse for a worm, why aren't you answering me?!

"Knoll, are you alright?" Chrom asked.

"I'm fine, Captian. What is our next course of action?"

"We are going to engage. Prepare your weapons and tell message the others, we march in forty five minutes."

"Yes, sir." I leave the battle tent after saying that.

"Knoll! Hey!"

? "Lucile, hey."

"Knoll, for this fight, I'm going to partner you up with Fortuna."

"That crazy psycho?!" I don't want her trying to kill me again!

"Well that's odd; she said the same exact thing about you." Lucile giggled.

"Why are you partnering me with her?! She hates my guts!"

"Exactly! You both need to be in better terms with one another. Pick her up in five, I'll tell everyone to get ready as well." Lucile leaves.

"Fine fine…" wait a sec… pick her up? …Clever girl…

Let's just get this over with. Her tent shouldn't be that far… and… Ahh! Should be here!

"Hey, Fortuna! Get ready for the fight!"

…

…

It's bad enough I can't contact Chronos, but I don't want this to happen with Fortuna! Not to mention, it's still freaking raining! My magic cloak maybe preventing me from being too wet, but I am not risking a cold out here. "I'm coming in!"

Wow, so this is the equivalent of a girl's room. It's so bland here. Then again, we travel a lot.

She isn't here. Well the one thing I must never do here is search for underwear. By god, I sound like a pervert. Curse you Japanese media for making that clichéd scenario in my head!

I feel like such a loser now…

Waiting here in the entrance doesn't feel like a good idea.

…

I really wish Chronos was here because this is just so awkward. Where is she?

Maybe another glance at her room will lessen my feel- Wait a sec… there is something on her pillow.

That is such a pretty blue flower attached to this hairpin. But why is it so familiar? Yeesh, I mean it's like my subconscious is screaming at me to remember… Hmmm… Blue flower… blue flower…

Nope nothing, but this does look important to her better put it down.

… I put it down and no clichéd misunderstanding as she came in with wrong timing. Where is she?

Maybe I should check the stables. Let me just get out of here. If she is there then coming here was a huge waste of time.

I walk out of the tent and I head straight for the stables. Thankfully my bad nose prevents me from smelling something that bad.

As I walk to a new stable I hear a voice.

"There there. It will be all right Max. You should just rest up for now…"

I knock on a pillar before saying. "Fortuna? Hey is that you?"

"Huh? Oh, Knoll. What is it?" I come in and see her taking care of her Pegasus, but her Pegasus is lying down.

"What's with your Pegasus?"

"… He is sick. He had a hard time breathing after that last big ice blast by the Assassin. Something in the weather must be affecting him."

"The weather is pretty bad…" and cue distant thunder.

"Lucile informed me that there if we were to fly out there we would have to remain low, but I don't think I'm going to bring him with me in this fight." She stands up and picks up a lance and a wind tome.

Wait a sec. "Is that a wind tome? You can use magic?!"

"Oh right, yes I studied magic when I was young. My aunt was a knowledgeable sage and saw great potential in me. When I came to the Pegasus knight training program, I had little time to re practice some of the basics I was taught. Since Max is out for this fight, I might as well try this again…" She opens up a page and reads it up.

"Funny, you never talked about your family. The only thing I know about you from your past is that you snort." I say with a smirk.

She looks at me with a glare, but she then returned my smirk. "What about you? Oh mysterious psycho? I heard that you were able to kill a few bandits by yourself in a stealthy manner in broad day light, and not to mention you were very vague in explaining who you were or where you came from."

Oops, shouldn't have played the past card. "Well uh… huh… I guess you're right."

"Feels good to be. Now come on, the others are expecting us." She motions me to follow her.

Hey… she looks really nice when she smiles. Isn't this the first time she didn't hit me in a conversation?

… Focus Knoll. There is fight to be won.

* * *

"Ylisseans! We can't fight two fronts we need to retreat!" A warrior shouted.

Their commanding officer breathes in deeply. "… Soldier, tell our men to fall back and tell them to carry all of our injured men out of here. Tell the able men that if they want to leave, they can flee with the others retreating…"

"But sir, what about you?"

"Someone has to follow the orders of the King. If I don't, he would murder my wife and child to set an example. I will accept the blame of this action…"

"Sir, but that would leave you alone with the rebels and the Ylisseans."

"Go now while are defenses are still holding, so everyone else may leave."

"Sorry sir, I may question our king, but I- no we will not leave you to face such harsh odds!"

After hearing their general and the soldier, the rest of Mustafa's men stood tall ready to face overwhelming odds.

* * *

"Sir, Ylisseans are coming!" a soldier reported.

"What?!" A sword master, wearing Plegia's symbol crossed out, screamed out. "Call our men back! We have sustained too many casualties as it is!" One would assume this would be the rebel commander.

"Wait Captain Weldin, I have a different idea…" an assassin classed man appeared. He didn't reveal his face.

"What more can you tell me? General Mustafa was too stubborn to listen to me. I understand his position, but he doesn't understand the new situation! Now we have this stupid fight and the Ylisseans are right on top of both of us!" The man Weldin complained.

"Clear all thoughts first captain. It was easier for you to revolt against your king because you had already lost your family to him. Remember? Mustafa isn't as hopeless as you."

"I know the rumors of me going around: my family was killed when someone in my home town was accused to be an Ylissean spy. The Mad King burned everyone alive there because of a false accusation… I do hate the king, but don't think I'm doing this mostly for revenge. I want to end the rule of kings, so no one has to be falsely persecuted…" The man was in near tears. "Mustafa is a good man which is why I was surprised he refused to listen to me

"Of course! But look at the facts now: Where will you run too? How will you take care of the men under your new rebellion? You're trapped by the followers of Gangrel and the Ylisseans… Death is almost certain…" The hooded man said.

"Are you just going to tell me the obvious or are you actually going to help me like you said you would?" Weldin asked frustrated.

"Dear Weldin, fortune favors the bold and you are one of them. Keep fighting, I will turn the tides of this war…"

"You? How?" Weldin scoffs.

The hooded assassin looks to the sky. "My… (Thunder: Boom!) Such beautiful weather we're having, aren't we?"

* * *

"Alright the goal is clear: Take out the enemy commander or in this case the enemy _commanders_." Lucile briefed to us. "According to our scouts, we entered the lower half of these hills which is supposed to be the territory." Lucile pointed to a map much like the chapter 10 map, but she pointed to our starting point in the game. "As luck would have it, the exit point is at the exact opposite corner which is guarded by the Plegians still loyal followers. We can actually lessen the amount of combat here by-"

"Captain Chrom! Khan Basilio!" A soldier came in the war council so suddenly. "The rebel leaders would like an audience with us."

Everyone looked to Chrom and Lucile.

Chrom responded looked hesitant, but he said, "Let's see what they want."

* * *

"I am Captain Weldin, former lieutenant to the Plegain division here in Ragnen Valley. We received word of the man named Marvo's idea for a new form of government. That speech gave us the courage to finally rebel against the Mad King. I know you are trying to escape; we even received word that you might come here, which is why we want to help you."

Everyone was a bit silent until Basilio spoke up, "Now why would you want help from us?"

"We all know we have wronged you and your country. To be honest: my good friend Mustafa is leading the enemy army, but he is tied to the king because of his family being executed if he disobeys…" The man suddenly gets down on his knees and bows his head down, "Please, we will let you cross, we will help you in any way possible, but please let me face Mustafa and please spare any men of his after his death. I will send them back safely."

"That all feels kind of sudden, Captain." Basillio remarked. "Not to mention a little strange. You know your friend is being blackmailed yet you move against him anyway?"

"It is cruel, I know, I tried to talk to him before all of this: To have him run to his family right then and now before we formerly rebelled. We wouldn't say anything, just pack up and rescue them, but he insisted on staying still fearing for them. His loyalty and my ideals has caused this problem and I will not have others be strained on my fault on this… So please just grant me this…"

Everyone was silent, Basilio looked to Chrom who seemed a little confused with the situation, but Chrom then said, "We still need to get out of here quickly. This seems like the quickest descion. But if you ever try to pull something on us Weldin, we will stop you without a second thought; deal?"

Weldin raised his head and said, "Yes sir."

* * *

"Alright it's been made a little easier now: We all have to move up from this point and secure the exit point." Lucile pointed out.

Everyone seemed to agree in the new path made easier to access thanks to the rebel's support, but something felt a bit off.

"Um Captain? Are we really going to trust them?" Sumia asked with her hand raised.

"I personally don't trust him. But he seemed sincere enough in his words. We still have to plan our escape and try and find out where they took Emm." Chrom said. "So let's finish this quickly and be done with it."

With those words, we got into our battle stations and prepared for an way too easy fight.

* * *

=Later=

"Khan Basilio!"

"Olivia! I'm sorry we kept you waiting."

"When I didn't hear from you, I thought… I assumed the worst."

Wow, Oliva is hot, I mean skimpy clothing in the rain- oh god, I think like a perv now. I hate how I didn't notice this is the game, but freaking freak! Really gotta focus now! Think death, despair other emo stuff.

Wahh, Chronos… I'll just listen to the conversation now before I descend deeper into the madness that is my own mind.

"Pile you lot! And Bid farewell to this Plegain hellhole."

Well it looks like for now things are slowing down, now gives me a reason to look back what happened so far…

But something feels amiss, Why are some of our soldiers still so tense looking?

I take a quick look back at the fort where Mustafa was because I wondered how he did this time? He always seemed like a good person even in a fight. (I found out in some of Henry's supports that all Plegain commanders were actually good people when they weren't fighting other people.) I pity that dude because maybe here there was a chance to save that dude.

Oh well, so far: being helpless in events, really really sucks.

* * *

OVERVEIW OFF.

* * *

Weldin is seen giving directions to his soldiers.

"Alright men, we need to cover their escape. A fire is a good distraction for all of us to keep the Plegain pursuers of the Ylisseans and our backs. Put some of our fallen comrades in it as well, we can give their ashes to their families. Be sure to pour the oil around this fort in the areas I marked with an X. I need to check with some personal business." But before he left he turned back around to address something. "As for those that remained loyal to Mustafa, we won't try to report what happened here. We will take care of you if you are injured, but please don't make any more trouble and try to stop us. It's been a tiring day for all of us." He then left.

Some soldiers were talking to each other. Both armies were in the former fort of Mustafa a man all sides seemed to respect.

"We fight each other one minute and help each other bury our dead the next? What's goi'n on in this world?" A soldier said.

"Change I hear. Some are following that exalt's words and her sacrifice, but some are also following that Assassin guy. Crazy stuff of y'all ask me."

"You knows I heard a crazy rumor: Mustufa was desperate trying to kill Weldin in their last duel."

"What do ya mean by that?"

"I hear bout some rumors on how Weldin defeated Mustafa with ease."

"But I recokened Mustafa was the stronger of the two."

"That's what I thought! But didn't you see Cap Weldin? Not a single scratch o him."

"Curious ain't it- Oi! You there! Watch where you poor that oil!"

He screamed at a man who was pouring oil.

"Sorry folks, but here is one of the X's Captain marked."

The two see a clearly marked X on a post.

"That's an odd place to put it."

"Say… Now that you mention it aren't there a few X's here?" As the soldier said this, thunder boomed.

"Aren't there supposta be? We are going to burn the dead for ashes ain't we?"

"But isn't oil by fire too much?"

"Well-"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The trio of soldiers heard a scream form one of the corridors a man came screaming and pointing to the place he just exited, "Some idiot already lit us up! Run! Before we all get burned!"

The soldiers then tried to run in the opposite direction, but fire started to light up from the other exits and soon everyone was trapped under a burning fire.

"What's going on?! How did this happen?! Some one call Captain Weldin!"

=In the distance=

Someone was watching the fort burn up and flames, the sound of screaming and pleas was drowned out by the heavy rain and sound of thunder storms that had just picked up.

The man inhaled deeply and remembered how his day went.

=Flashback=

"Mustafa…"

"Weldin… You sure did a lot of things I thought you would never do. I didn't expect you to side with the Ylisseans just to get to me alone. You would always ask for a rematch if someone was stronger than you. I won't hold back though… You made your choice and I made mine." Mustafa took out his axe and prepared to face his former friend.

Though something was off about his friend: He didn't draw his weapon and he stood in the shadows were only his lower half of his body was seen.

"What's with you?" Mustafa almost squints and then widens his eyes wide. "Wait a sec- Weldin never had brown eyes! AUGH!" The moment he said this, a dagger came out from the shadows and pierced the shoulder of Mustafa's axe arm. This caused him to drop his weapon and clutch his arm. Mustafa then removed the dagger in his shoulder and screamed in pain.

"Ahh, so I was originally right in his eyes being a dark shade of blue. Well at least this detail didn't cuase me too much trouble." Weldin(?) said nonchalantly as he raised both of his hands.

"You- who are you!?" Mustafa picked up the axe again only to be stabbed again in his other shoulder. "AAUGH!"

"That question is as countless as the faces and voices I have stolen: who are you? Of course, what else can you ask when someone you know does something against their nature? I have so many names that I forgot my true name a very long time ago, but now I go by my favorite title." He stepped in and smiled at Mustafa before throwing two more daggers right at his legs, causing Mustafa to kneel down in pain.

"*Gasp* You dastard… Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Nah… Names or titles don't matter in the slightest to me, so why should mine matter to you?" Weldin(?) taunted.

"I- I don't care who you are- but please spare my men!"

"Hmm… Funny… Weldin said if I touched you he would kill me, but look at him now: dead. So- Let's go with this: "Your men and Weldin's men all meet a terrible accident. Now all of you will die as Plegain heroes." How is that sounding to ya?"

Before Mustafa could scream in protest, Weldin(?) quickly placed his hand in his mouth and pulled on his tounge. "Hmm… Speechless? Why I knew you'd like it! Alrighty then!" He pulled out one last knife and put it right on his tongue.

With one last twisted smile, Weldin(?) said in Mustafa's voice now. "I won't spare your men."

Then thunder boomed.

=End of flashback=

"Ahh, such lovely weather…" The man said as the rain poured hard on his skin and thunder deafened the skies with the flashes of lightning.

The man then heard a voice behind him.

"Now I know it's you. Only you would complement on the weather at almost all times."

Weldin(?) looked back and saw a sleek armored white Knight with crossbows mounted on his side.

"Ahh! Cross, dear boy! Come to visit me in my vacation? You should have just messaged me if you missed my lovely cloud watching experience!" He jubilantly proclaimed.

The Assassin didn't flinch. "That's not why I'm here…Deceit."

Deciet simply laughed. "By the way how do you like my new look? I like this rebel style look. I may even take a part of this upcoming climax with the Plegains and Ylisseans."

Cross sighed then said. "Deceit, The Benefactor has called for a meeting with us. He says he is finally going to show us some of his great "Plans" he has in store for us."

"And he wanted to include me? Daww he shouldn't have. I feel so special being waited for this!"

Cross kept his composure "… It's not just you. He wants **Everyone **in this meeting."

The Assassin Deceit suddenly got quiet; a large smile appeared on his face again. "Everyone is coming? We haven't gotten all together since… Well, I know for one thing: we are all scattered across this continent and Valm could take weeks before we all get together. Does this have anything to do with Marvo's little speech just now?"

"…He is sending some of us to gather everyone, you were my first pick up. We then have to pick up Voodoo from here."

"So I'm the first in this long road trip? Whoop! What fun! So what are we waiting for boy? Let's go!" He pointed beyond the burning fort, ignoring the fact his last question was ignored.

Cross motioned him to stop. "Wait, while I was heading here, I heard that the Shepherds were on their way here; did you see them?"

"Oh yes, beautiful people they all are."

"You do know they were the ones who killed Dadlam and Zul right? Your poker buddies?" Cross asked his co-worker.

"Oh I know, which is why I gave them a gift."

"Fine, I'll bite: what's the gift, Deceit?" he said in a sarcastic tone.

"I just gave a bit of _rebel_ in them… Just like Marvo pitched to the world."

* * *

**Wow. **

**This chapter has a lot of scenes. No, let me rephrase that: This has a lot of lines and scene jumping. Kind off loose writing than what I am supposed to do.  
**

**I also didn't go over this one well so there may be even more grammar errors than usual.**

**Oops.**

**So yeah, Story-wise, liking the story so far. What do you guys think?**

**Ugh more freaking fight scenes coming up… not to mention the amount of music the next two to three chapters may have. I have got to organize things properly.**

**Sigh: Oh well.**

**These thing have been coming out a little later than I originally promised to upload and I apologize for that. I would like to tell me reason, but it's personal.  
**

**so let's end this quickly.**

_The only sense that is common in the long run, is the sense of change-and we all instinctively avoid it. _

_**-E. B. White**_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	19. Update 19

**Hail, Eye Ball users! PG-13 here, with a quick author notes.**

**First: YAY! I forgot to mention that I had passed over 100,000 words!**

**A cool accomplishment showing I am committed to this story and still will be! (Looks at first story.)**

**Hehehe…**

**Second: err… Um… Let's just jump back into the story, OK?**

**But first (or third) the Disclaimer! Go you magnificent anti-copyright sentence, you!**

"**I own only my made up characters. Fire Emblem characters are owned by Nintendo and other companies. Please support them."**

* * *

UPDATE # 19

CONFIGURING INTERFACE…

ACCESSING MAIN FIREWALLS…

SEARCHING FOR USER: Chronos…

MODE: OVERVEIW DISABLED.

[Recommended music=Epic Score- You Must Overcome (New 2012-Daniel James)]

The scene is played out in Nagon Rue, the western capital of the Khan Flavia. The strong fort that represented the strength of the Feroxi people was burning under siege by a powerful enemy.

We look into the throne room where one soldier makes his stand.

He dodged a lance by ducking right underneath it. While it was right above him, he pushed his elbows upward and pushed the lance high. Seeing his opponent of guard, he spun around low and did a round flying round house kick to knock out one of his opponents.

More came in trying to kill him; three soldiers aimed their lance at him.

The warrior could only hold his iron sword to defend himself.

They all charged at him the three spears going to meet and pierce him. He sidestepped to the right and grabbed all three lances at the point they intercrossed. Using his blade, he cut off the lances and fisted the close man to him. The other two charged trying to bring him down, but a woman and another man came in and used both dull sides of their lance to knock out their attackers.

"Kellam! Sully! Have you seen the captain?!"

"Sorry, Knoll, haven't seen him in this hellhole!" Sully told him. "Ugh, this is Bull! How the hell did this all happen?!" She complained.

"Kellam? What about you, have you seen either Captain or Lucile?" Knoll asked among the sounds of fighting and clashing.

"I haven't seen anyone but you two." He said.

"There they are kill them!" an enemy shouted.

"Damn it! They can kill us, but we aren't allowed to hurt them?!" Sully said as she readied a lance.

Knoll took another fighting position. "You heard Lucile, stem the casualties at all costs!" he started charging right at the next group of enemies.

A mercenary class warrior jumped up and tried to attack Knoll. Knoll was distracted and looked behind him who widened his eyes at what looked to be his own wolf friend attacking him. But Streaky came at blinding speed and jumped on Knoll's head. Streaky used the extra height to overpower the merc and land on the ground with a heavy thud.

A soldier tried to pierce the wolf, but Kellam came from nowhere and shield bashed the fellow.

Sully, rammed through the rest of them, trying her best not to kill these enemies who were out for their blood.

Knoll, a little shaken that his wolf used him as a stepping stone, looked over. "Guys! We have to move! Enemy reinforcements!"

"When will this blasted day end?!" Sully screamed.

Kellam added to this screaming something that for once all heard, but none wanted to hear.

"And since when do we call our own soldiers **enemies**?!"

* * *

[End music (for now)]

=Earlier.=

OVERVEIW ENABLED.

"Knoll's log #2." I forgot I still had this fancy audio diary-thing-other-people-can-be-around-without-it- messing-this-crippled-timeline-even-more. "After like what appears to be… a week… from my last log- wow that felt longer than usual- we are making our way back to Nagon Rue. Emmeryn was captured by the Forty Assassins, so I'm wondering what's going to happen now? Are we going to search for her still or continue this "war" with the Mad Scarecrow of Plegia? What's worse is that this is a situation where anything can go wrong and by my luck, it will go horribly wrong. I only hope the next time I can use this for a third time." I press the button and stop the recording.

I want to ponder a bit on how Chrom is acting. He seems rather exhausted. I guess he is happy that his sister is saved, but he is worrying about Emmeryn what the F.A. are going to do with her. I wonder how this will affect him in the long run and I just now realized Emmeryn is prisoner to the Interferer, well crap.

Not to mention Chronos is still oddly missing… Which sucks a lot!

But of course I'm powerless while a huge super battle for realty starts building up.

I look over to Streaky who seems rather energetic that we are back in Nagon Rue. (It's like our second home in this Plegia VS Yliseean war.) We keep coming back here like there is nothing left back home for us. Oh wait, wasn't the Ylissean capital captured in like chapter 7? How'd they ever get it back?

"I bet it feels good to be back in the cold, doesn't it girl?" I smile and see Streaky prance around.

Crash!

Hmm? Oh hey…

I look over and see a young man who dropped a stache of weapons. His senior looked angry.

"Hey, you fool! Watch all of those weapons! Doofus! Do you want- Oh! Sir Knoll! I am so sorry for this. Please forgive us!" He bows down, but then I bend over and help the other soldier pick up the weapons.

The bullied guy bent over looks at me surprised and I give him a big smile as I pick up a few weapons with him.

'Sir-Sir! You don't have to do that! We-"

I cut him off there as I stand back up, "It's fine. We all make mistakes. We are human after all, which is why instead of making fun of each other…" I place the weapons back in the caravan. "We should be helping each other instead."

"Ye-Yes, sir!" The senior salutes.

Ooh! I like this kind of power! But my nice side is up, "You are dismissed sir."

"Yes, sir!" He leaves just to look around and look back nervously and then he runs away. Wait did I just shoo him from his actual work? Oops…

What power! Mwahahahah-

"Thank y- you sir." The bullied guy said as he bowed.

He was a small myrmidon class with a way too big head band, but his hair was gray and he had yellow eyes. Other than that, he was pretty much like all default myrmidons.

"Hey what's your name, soldier?"

"My name is Quil'zen"

What? That sounds like… "Huh? That name… isn't that-?" I point to him.

"Oh, uh yes! I come from Chon'sin- well my parents did. I was raised in Ylisse in a small town in the-"

"Whoa, sorry I don't mean for you to tell me all about that. I just wanted to know if that name was just like Lon'qu. Chon'sin huh? I wondered what that place was like…"

Quil'zen smiled big "My parents always talked about it: It was so exotic compared to Ylisse. There, there are some trees with pink blossoms that can make the most beautiful flowers look so dull. The food was different and people wore different clothes."

So like medieval Japan… or was it China? I think Chon'sin was referencing Japan right?

"You know, I think Lon'qu was from Chon'sin." Yes, I remembered this because I saw his Wikipedia once. Though, the info might have been faulty…

His name is a little long, so I'll call him Zen in my head for now. Zen then says, "Oh yes, his name is also of Chon'sin accent. I would like to meet him and ask him about how he got here." Sorry Zen, if I recall one of his supports properly, he doesn't like talking about his past.

Hmm… Lon'qu, Say'ri, Yen'fay… huh… all of them are badass swordspeople. Maybe I should ask Lon'qu later if he can teach me a few sword techniques.

"Sorry- uh, may I call you Zen for short?"

"Sure, sir."

"Sorry, I don't think Lon'qu likes talking about his past."

"I- I see…" He looks down and depressed.

"Don't worry about it; we might visit Chon'sin one day." Well, Say'ri joins us but he can ask her.

"Thank you, sir!"

"It's fine, Zen. When we get to Nagon Rue, the first thing I will do is hide."

"Why sir?"

"I'm trying to hide from everyone so I can take a freaking nap."

"Hahaha."

"Oh haha laugh it up! You also have to do the training regimen. In fact, I might suggest Sully for your next one."

"Hahaha! Oh I haven't laughed like this in…" He suddenly looks depressed.

I sigh then I say, "Hey, don't let it get to you man." I tap his shoulder. "We all have our ups and downs."

He looks at me and says, "thank you, Sir."

"No Problem! Hey, look we are almost at Nagon Rue now!" I point over and see a familiar castle.

As soon as I said this, I heard a voice toward my direction.

"Knoll!"

"Hey, Frederick, What's up?" I causally say.

He looks at me apathetically. "The Sky, Knoll."

What the- "Have you really not heard that phrase before?"

"That isn't important, what is important is your needed in this next war council." He said sternly.

"OK. Am I need now or-"

"Now." He then goes off at the sight of Streaky. Why is he so nervous around her?

"Well I gotta go now. Bye Zen!" I wave and leave.

"… Knoll, wait!"

I look back and see him; his eyes seem scared for some reason.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"…S-sorry it's actually nothing." He then walks away. Kinda sounds like something important.

But I'm late for a war council.

* * *

"Now that everyone's here… We have received new word of the status in Plegia." Lucile said.

"Scouts are showing that Plegia is almost in a state of civil war with itself. Riots are overwhelming the Plegian Militia, much like what we saw when we were escaping."

Lucile is going over the state Plegia is in which was never done in the actual story. Great here comes messed up timeline. Oddly enough the in-fighting was supposed to be found out the moment before the final fight, but since there is a different reason now all together, I have no idea how this affects the story.

"Despite all of this, Gangrel's elite guard and main army is still a massive force… On a side note, there is also the question of what happened to Emmeryn and Marvo." Lucile gestured to the old execution area. "If we consider the direction they flew of which is southeast, then his destination puts him somewhere towards south of Ylisse in Cobalt Port or other areas between there and there."

She and then everyone else looked at Chrom, whom was holding his hands and covering his mouth seeming to think about the situation.

"…" Everyone stared at Chrom expecting some kind of answer then he said something, "I'll be honest: I don't really know what to do here. Half of me wanted to chase after those dastards who stole Emmeryn. While the other wanted to kill Gangrel for almost killing my sister… I'm also a little relieved that she is still alive and that there is still a chance to save her… Last night I was in a daze wondering what I would do. Until Lucile chewed me out and gave me the idea on what to do next." He smiled softly. "As long as the Mad King is around, there won't be any talk of peace my sister wanted. And with things as they are, this war needs to end now. So with that, we are going face against the Mad Scarecrow and end his reign!"

Everyone started to cheer. It then became like pre chapter 11 where everyone started cheering Chrom on. I did as well, but ever since I came back here, I remembered something important about this place.

* * *

I was on my way out of the palace/fort/castle. Whatever!

I wasn't thinking about this before the second time I came here because I simply forgot about it with all of the other things going on then. I think the only reason I remembered this time was because Chronos wasn't here.

I'm going back to that random spot in the street where I bumped into who I assumed to be The Interferer.

Since Chronos still isn't communicating, this will be my only lead in finding what in the freaking game is going on here?! Seems kinda stupid looking for a god-like power without my probably as powerful cosmic guide, but with events as they are, I need help.

Now looking for an all powerful evil seems stupid on so many levels, I'm actually depending on the fact "he had several times to kill me but he didn't." as an insurance he won't go killing me in an instant. Thinking about it, his base is supposedly the Mila Tree right? Then why would he be there waiting for me in a random corner? But I am desperate for answers, so I have to go there regardless.

But before I could leave the palace/fort/castle, some guards blocked one of the exit ways with a crossed spear blocking-door cliché.

"Hold, sir, where are you going?" A man in a decorated Ylissean armor addresses me.

"I'm going to town. Why is there tight security all of a sudden? And… Who are you again?" This marks the second time someone's identity doesn't feel important. The first was with the Brothers of Death. I really need to pay attention- focus Knoll!

"I am Commander Conner Wilson. I am in charge of organizing every military force under our command and I was a decorated officer for the past twelve years. I' mostly do some of the heavier paper work now, but I still join the frontlines behind the Prince and Shepherds." He bowed- wait, are the Shepherds higher up? I need to re look at this ranking thing. Wilson continues. "Forgive the heavy security sir, but it is a new security measure we are trying out."

He signals the guards to let me go out one of the main doors.

"Be sure to come back soon sir." He tells me.

"Sure sure." I start walking out.

I'll leave the castle and try to head first into the old building we stayed in the first time we came here.

"Achoo!" Snap, my coa-

Slam!

…

The last door just slammed behind me and I forgot my coat… Hopefully this cloak will last me a while.

* * *

Ahh town, a great place to be! The cheery atmosphere is really something from the constant fighting and killing I had to do… darn what a dark thought.

I'm wondering how this is all going to work out? I didn't feel strong emotions as I did in the game when we all decided to go after Plegia.(Did Emmeryn's death really have such an impact?) Does this have something to do with my sanity? Like how The Interferer knew about that and Chronos didn't? A bit cliché for the bad guy to know everything or at least more than the good guy, but the more I do this, the more I feel like just more questions are just popping out of nowhere.

Sigh.

Now since I can see the old building we were borrowing, I can probably see the area where I bumped into that tall and bulky dressed man. Thankfully this looks like the spot where I bumped into him. Now if I remember correctly, he walked towards this alley way.

… A dead end? Figures…

I sigh and touch the wall. Maybe there is some kind of secret doorway or something?

…

Nope!

Now I feel like a fool.

I guess I'll go back now.

I turn around and see the same tall heavily clothed man I bumped into.

[Recommended music= Audiomachine- Thermopylae (Brutal Mix)]

"You!" I shout and I try to run after him.

All he does is walk out of my sight around a corner.

"Come back here!" I run after him and just barely see him across another street and recently walk behind another corner.

I continue the pursuit for a minute until I realize myself to be in a forest outside of the city.

"Ugh my head… what- what was I doing? I was following the guy and now I'm here… which is where?"

I hear movement to my right and I walk over. There is a clearing over here with an empty chair in the middle.

It's just a chair, no special markings, no special art; it is a normal wooden chair.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I talked out loud.

Absolute silence.

So do I just sit on the chair or something?

…

Ugh, I wanted answers. So let's just hope this won't kill or traumatize me.

I sit down on the chair and nothing seems to happen.

"Really? Nothing?" I slump in the seat closing my eyes and sighing.

I reposition myself right and open my eyes before I stand back up-

Only to find myself back in the Dragon's Table near the end of the game.

"… Aww crap."

I look in front of me and I see the heavily dressed man sitting on the other side sitting down on another same chair.

"…" he just stared at me.

I half expect him to attack me, but he doesn't. Does this mean that one of Chronos' theories was correct? That we were a part of his plan for this world? I'm a little glad that he won't hurt me, but then I wonder what he has planned for me?

"A-are y-y-you The Interferer?" I ask nervously.

All he does is nod.

"… Aren't you going to say something?"

"…"

"Just what is going on!? Who are you?! Why are you doing this!?" I shout at him.

"…"

The flipping "Final Boss" and all he is doing is sitting down and being quiet! I almost wish for those villains that like to talk a lot.

"Well say something!" I stand up angry that this is completely going nowhere.

The Interferer simply points behind me.

He points to the altar where the Fire Emblem lies perched there in all of its shininess.

"What about the Emblem?" I ask him only to find him gone.

Both chairs were gone along with The Interferer.

I then heard a voice and someone coming this way.

+_Hurry! This place will be destroyed soon!_+

Chronos?!

"Hey Chronos! Where have you been you lazy-"

"I know Chronos! Where the heck is the Emblem!?"

Di-Did I just cut myself off?

Oh Come On?! Is-Is that me!? …Dang that is a cool armor I'm wearing!(Am I taller too?) And those blades look badass! Did Anna give me new weapons or-

+_There! Hurry Up! He should be waiting downstairs for us!_+

Chronos interrupted my thoughts again and I saw myself running towards me.

"Whoa! Don't you see-"

He phased through me.

He **phased** through me!

Is this a vision of the future?!

BOOM!

"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!"

Is that Grima?! He sounds terrifying!

"That's Grima? Figures he sounds scarier in real life." The Future(?) me says out loud. He holds the Emblem like a shield.

+_Just hurry and leave this place; it may collapse soon!_+

My Future self starts to escape the room, but before he does, he stops right before the exit.

+_What are you doing!?_+

My future self looks down. He seems to be sad.

"It's going to hurt… It's going to hurt a lot. Just… prepare for it OK?"

He then runs down and out.

What did he mean by that? I mean what did I mean by that? Oi, time logics…

I hear another sound, but it isn't Grima. It's followed by explosions and what appears to be Risen.

Just what is going on?

I feel something on my shoulder and I look back to see the Interferer.

I'm pissed now. "What the Heck was that!? What are you trying to do?! What did I mean by those words!? Just what is happening!? Please…please tell me…"

"…" He stares at me.

Out of nowhere, he hugs me.

I-What the heck…

[End Music]

* * *

I find myself back on the chair in the middle of the forest.

"…WTF!? GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

*inhale* *exhale*

Let's just go back hom- let me just go back to sleep.

I'm not going to think; I am so tired and I want to just sleep for the rest of the night before I have to face The Mad King soon…

[Recommended music= Audiomachine- Blitzkrieg]

I hear rustling coming from a random bush.

"AAAAHHHH! Death to Monarchy!" A soldier comes out nowhere trying to gank me from the bush. (Stupid LoL terms…) he charges at me with his lance and I dodge it.

I am so not in the mood for this right now.

He swings his lance at me like a bat. I step in and grab the lance below the point and then punch him hard in the stomach. He slams into the tree and I pick him up by the collar.

"Look bandit, I am not in the- wait, why are you wearing the Ylissean soldier uniform?" I take a better look at him and see he is wearing a Ylissean uniform!

Wait a sec… "Death to Monarchy"?

… Sh- a coup d'état!?

"Now!" the man I'm holding screams and I instinctively jump out of the way and cover myself on the ground. There is an arrow now planted in the ground.

An archer appears along with a mercenary and a Feroxi axe man. Wait- even some Regna Ferox soldiers are in this?!

Both the merc and the axe man charge at me. I dash right towards them and slide under them right to the archer. (Good thing there isn't much snow on the ground in the forest.)

The archer aims his bow at me, but I'm close enough to kick the bow away from the ground. The arrow hits the ground to my right. The archer pulls out a knife and the other three behind me get back up. The archer attempts to stab me and I roll out of the way and get up, only to barely dodge a swing from the mercenary. The axe man then grabs my arm and tosses me into a tree.

It's four against one here! I gotta lose them in the forest!

I run hard making sure that they won't catch me or kill me. I hear them saying, "After him!/Don't let him Escape!"

I quickly run; if I can get to the city- wait, I can't fight there! Civilians… Well I need to do something… Of course! I'm in a forest!

I quickly spot a tall and branching heavy tree. I jump on top of it and hid in one of the branches.

"Hey?! Where did he go?" the soldiers were saying.

"I think he went this way!" The archer cried and then he followed everyone last towards my direction. When they were close enough, I jumped out and punched the archer to the ground, which knocked him out cold. The other three turned back to me and I quickly grabbed the bow and one arrow. I pointed and left the arrow fly- right into the ground a few fight in front of me.

Despite that fail, the three continued to charge at me. I ducked under a horizontal slash from the merc and punched him in the stomach. Next was the lance guy, he tried to charge me, but this time I spun myself and kicked the spear away which made him closer to me. I grabbed his collar and instinctively head but him- ow- then I just punch him in the face. He turned out to be knocked out cold.

Three down one-

The Feroxi soldier wasted no time trying to get to me. I quickly picked up the spear and faced him. He jumped in the air and tried to strike me, but I once again ran under him the moment he jumped. (Why do all soldiers have to jump? I think I did this tactic several times!) He swung again, this time, it was a wide horizontal slash. I backed off only to find myself near a cliff looking out to the town and in a distance I hear screams and shouts coming from the castle.

"What's going on!?" I scream at the last soldier.

"You and your tyrants can go straight to hell!" He screamed and charged at me.

Wrong move. I threw my spear at his feet, which caused him to trip and fall my way. I stepped aside and **almost **let him fall. Just before he fell, I grabbed his foot.

"Now-hrp- let's try this again, What's going on?"

"AAah! Ah! It was an organized Coup! Captain Weldin convinced our leader to rebel against the current Khans and Prince!"

"Alrighty then, Who is the sick punk who believed that psycho and how did they plan to do this?!" Wow, even with my partial strength, this dude is still kinda heavy.

"I'll never tell!" Sigh, we are so doing this

I shake him a little.

"Alright! Alright! I'll talk! It was Commander Wilson! Captain Weldin of the rebels convinced him and us to betray our so-called "Leaders!"

Dang, him? Figures that I just meet the man today. It feels like one of those sitcoms where something new is happening with a random character and it ties in with their problem of the day.

"Is the entire army betraying us?!" I ask I truly hope we don't have to fight against all our own men.

"No-o We captured all the loyalist and trapped them all underground! The others are probably just fighthing with the other majority of our forces!"

K so freeing loyalist and saving leaders is ideal. "Alright, I'm going in there!"

[End Music]

"I heard you were crazy, but not insane!" The guy laughed at me mockingly, clearly not remembering the situation. "You'll be killed before you even set foot back into the castle! Hahaha!"

"First, you're attacking my friends and since they would stand by me, I will stand by them. Second, I am crazy. Crazy enough to remember that I don't need to be holding onto your leg anymore…"

"You wouldn't!" He asks nervously.

I just smile darkly.

"Fine! Just pull me back up please! I won't stop you or anything- I swear!"

"Alright then- Achoo! Ugh, stupid cold…" Wait, which hand am I using to wipe my nose?

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ker plunk!

…

* * *

[Recommended music= Two Steps from Hell- Sons of War (Thomas Bergersen) "Nemesis"]

"*Gasp* *panting*" I am so glad he didn't die from that. I probably spent too much time asking the nearby village to look after all four of my attackers and see if they get better. (Carrying them all was worse!)

Come on guys… Don't die on me.

I get to the castle/-no time! I'm here and it's heck… again! Everyone is fighting against everyone and I can't tell who is who!

"It's the Shepherd, Knoll! Get him!" some soldiers then charge at me.

"Sir! Catch!" A probably loyalist myrmidon tosses me a killer edge.

"Thank you!" I say as I catch the blade, avoid all attackers, and head straight back towards him.

"What's the status?! I yell as I dodge a Feroxi soldier and kick him in stomach.

"Commander Wilso-"

"I know that! Where are the other Shepherds!? Where are the Khans?!" I disarm another soldier and hammer down his head.

"All of them are probably inside the castle!" he parries a soldier. "There was a previous order form Lady Lucile to not harm or kill one another and simply knock your "ILL behaved war brother" out cold."

"When was this?" I ask him.

"A little while back, right before all this fighting happened."

"Nice to know everyone is only after us and not each other. Cover me; I'm heading straight for the main gates!" Which, of course, are wide open right now… right?

Right.

I hear more rebels call out and point to me. They all swarm to my location while only what seems to be a few people try to block them. I see and pick up a knight's shield while continuing to run. I see some people blocking my way and I continue to charge. I put the killing edge aside and raise the shield infront of me.

"Don't let him in! Kill him here!" I heard.

But that's not why I picked up this shield. I pushed the shield in front of me; forcing the first person it touched to catch it. I quickly jumped on to the shield and the person holding it then I jumped again safely going into the door while dodging poorly aimed arrows and javelins.

"Keep the shield!" I scream as I head in.

"After him!" some of them scream.

Unfortunately for them, I easily lose them inside the castle.

It would make sense for them all to be in the castle. Let's try the throne room!

* * *

=We catch up to recent events=

"If they're not here, then where the hell are they?!" Sully asked as she rode her horse somehow indoors.

"I don't know!" I yell out. "I wasn't even here earlier today!"

"Guys! Their catching up!" Kellam said as he was riding with Sully… somehow…

We turn into a corner and face a dead end.

I turn around and face them, "Looks like we might have to fight here."

"In a choke point?" That's a terrible fighting ground for me and Kellam here!" Sully screamed.

"Guys? What is Streaky doing?" Kellam pointed to the dead end where Streaky seemed to be scratching.

I noticed a brick sticking out right above her. Is this a-

"There are around here!"

"What- the where are they?"

"They must have went this way!"

The rebels leave the dead end.

"Were all capital castles built with secret doorways?" I ask. Me, Kellam, Streaky, Sully, and Sully's horse had all somehow managed to fit in here.

"I'm guessing most of the old castles do. I hear the capital castles are all usually really old." Sully said.

"It's still kind of dark." I barely hear Kellam say this. Apparently, it's only in a loud battle field when he is sometimes heard and seen.

I search around. "There should be a torch here- somewhere…"

"Give it here." I lend it over to Sully and she lights it up with something- it's a little dark to see how she did that.

Once the light shines we see a stair way which goes up.

"We aren't helping anyone here, so let's just follow those stairs." I say.

We walk on the (wide) stairs for awhile and end up with a ladder and some kind of hatch at the top.

"… I wonder how we are going to bring a wolf and a horse up there." I say out loud.

"Hey do you hear that?" Kellam tells us to be silent and we try to listen in from below.

There appears to be some kind of fight above us. From the sound, two men are fighting.

"Why are you doing this?!"

Chrom?

"For Freedom!"

I recognize that dastard's voice! It's Wilson!

"Is that Captain up there?!" I scream and I quickly climb up the ladder. Kellam and Sully follow behind me.

"Streaky, don't eat the horse or else! Chrom might kick me out!"

"Hurry up and go!" Sully screams and I open the hatch.

I find myself on top of the freaking roof of the castle! I head up and look for Chrom and I spot him over by following the slashes on the ground.

I take out my blade and head to the fight. "Captain!"

Both of them look in my direction.

"Knoll!?" Chrom looked surprised.

"How did you- Those soldiers screwed up big time!" Wilson screamed.

Kellam and Sully backed me. Chrom repositioned himself in front of us and pointed his blade to Wilson.

"Surrender Wilson! End this madness!"

Wilson looked angry and shouted to us, "Never! I have seen the truth! I will return "Milord" and I will free the people of Ylisse from your greedy hands!"

He then jumped off the roof.

We went to look down, but we didn't see him anywhere.

"How did you guys find me?" Chrom asked us.

"Pure luck and secret passage ways. Are all castles like that?" I tell him.

"Let's talk more about this later; we have to get to Frederick!" Chrom started running to what seemed to be a door.

Sully asked, "What happened to him?"

"He was stabbed by Wilson!"

We all looked at each other and ran after Chrom.

[End Music]

* * *

I find myself helping the wounded out again. Distributing medicine/ vulnerary to almost anyone I come too, them hating me or not.

Thankfully, what happened after all of that was something of a miracle: The rebels only wanted to kill the Shepherds and the Khans, so most of the soldiers were all knocked out cold or incapacitated by broken bones. I found out everyone else, that wasn't trying to defend them, was trying to save the other loyalists who were captured by the rebels with the Khans.

Speaking of which, Chrom had to kneel and beg forgiveness to both of them. They both didn't blame him for this and forgave him easily.

The rebels were actually let go. Chrom addressed them all, after we rounded them all up, and gave a touching speech asking forgiveness from them while trying to understand their feelings. HE was also reading it from papers which lead me to eye Lucile suspiciously. But almost, if not all, rebels returned quickly and silently back to us, their conviction to their Prince renewed and stronger than before. There was talk on how they felt so bad for turning on such a kind man/leader.

Frederick also was alright; however, by the time a healer came to him, he lost a lot of blood. He fought hard and was still able to live. He is now bed ridden until the healers or Libra to say it's OK for him to be back in the army.

I found myself walking back to the medical tent and seeing Chrom and Lissa looking over Frederick. A playful smile on the siblings is seen while they see their "butler" in this state.

"Milord, please let me out of this bed; I am quite fine."

"Sorry Frederick, doctor's orders." Chrom said.

"But don't worry!" Lissa said. "We will take _good_ care of you! Hehe…" She ended with a giggle.

"Hey, Captain." I interrupt this probably golden opportunity. "I'm restocking med supplies, so where is the next batch?"

"It should be on that shelf over there." Chrom points over to a desk.

I walk over to it, but The Khans suddenly come in.

"Boy, you need to hear this." Basillio said as he came in. He and Flavia looked urgent-if that was a proper word for it.

"What is it Basillio?" Chrom asked as he stood up.

"We just received word of The Mad King's next move." Flavia said. "And the timing couldn't be worse. Our scouts have told us that Gangrel has crushed a major resistance group and is heading straight for Ylisse to "Cut out the disease once and for all!" He is bruning and destroying anyone on his way there. You name it: bandits, reistance, even his own border towns and he hasn't even reached your borders yet."

"By the gods!" Chrom said. "We have to stop him!"

"It will be problematic because of the recent casualties here. Our Troops maybe weakened from all the infighting and may not rest up in time when they fight against Gangrel." Basillio said.

"I'll contact Lucile, she can probably think of something." Chrom said. "I hate to put all pressure on her but we are in a bind."

The three of them leave to find the tactician and leave me with an injured Frederick and still normal Lissa.

Frederick says some things, but it's mostly to Lissa.

I only breathe in deeply and carry out the remaining medicine I need to hand out.

* * *

**Welp, that's chapter 19.**

**Chronos still not here.**

**Time Messed Up.**

**Vision of the Future?**

**Interferer= good guy?**

**Frederick out of action- for a while.**

**And I still am having trouble with procrastination.**

… **The last one may be the most important one.**

**I'm tired.**

**If there are mistakes= Sorry.**

**Making it all short.**

**Quote:**

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."

Albert Einstein

**Thank you/ review please.**

***Proceeds to collapse on floor.***


	20. Update 20 (Phase One Completed)

UPDATE # 20

PROGRESS: POOR.

CORRUPTION OF FILE: DAMAGE CONTROL REQUIRED.

SYSTEM RESTORATION: ENTERING SECOND PHASE…

EFFICIENCY DECREASED BY 34%

UNKNOWN SPIKES DETECTED…

USER: Chronos= M.I.A.

REBOOTING…

ENGAGING OVERVEIW IN APPROXIMATELY: 5 SECONDS

OVERVEIW ENABLED.

* * *

"_It's going to hurt… It's going to hurt a lot. Just… prepare for it OK?"_

… What did I mean by that?

Whenever I look back to that vision, I always think of myself and what I meant by saying that.

It's the middle of the night before we all have to move out and intercept the Mad King's path of destruction.

And there is something I put on a desk right beside my necklace and Distortion Rune: a Master Seal.

It's a small orb thing. It's round and shiny…

Thing is, most of the Shepherds were given these. It's going to help us increase our fighting abilities. For this fight, we are going to need every edge we can get our hands on.

There was a supposed huge history of these ancient and powerful artifacts, but I was daydreaming and I missed out.

I do want to try it out, but I piece of me is just scared to use it. Is it nervousness? I mean I think that armor I was wearing in my vision was my upgrade version but… I guess I'm just too afraid to see what I meant by my words. I'll try to hold off using this. I'll just trust Lucile's plan, since most of her plans work all the time.

But still… "Prepare" huh?

…I can't take this.

I sigh and get out of bed. I take my stone and necklace and leave the seal on the desk or on top of the cabinet- whatever you call it. I put on my cloak and quietly walk out of the room as to not wake up Streaky. Even though an animal's hearing is supposed to be greater than a human's, I leave my room fairly easily.

Where to go? I'm just walking out aimlessly in these hall ways… I want to go to town, but no one is probably awake by this time. I haven't checked up on Maci; I wonder if she is doing fine? …

I see a patrolling officer this late up. "Excuse me sir?"

"Who are- oh! Sir Knoll? What are you doing up this late?"

"Couldn't sleep, can you tell me if there is a royal library here?"

"Ahh, I think there is something like a library here, but I think it's mostly catalog and diplomacy issues in there…"

"It's fine; can you tell me where it is?"

It was nice of him to give me a lit candle. I forgot there is no electricity yet. Maybe Lem ter- …that place with inventors has harnessed electricity.

So this must be Regna Ferox's eastern library. It's good to know a diplomacy that relies on force still have stuff on writings and etc.

Thankfully it really is a library. Since YouTube is out of the question, maybe an old story here can put me to sleep like an old bed time story. I do remember Sumia and Miriel being active readers, but I don't think either of them is awake in the dead of night; so I can't borrow a book from them.

Now what to read?~ what to read?~what to read?- Ah! This book looks fancy!

I haven't read a book for fun in a long time! I think the last books I read for fun were the Pendragon series? That and Harry Potter with some other probably mainstream series.

I find a table and set the candle. The book has some weird writing on it. I guess I can't read in a different language- hold on, all of the symbols turned English!?

… So the title of the book is called "Elements."(I'm just going to ignore that whole auto translate thing.)

The first thought in my head is the Periodic Table. Is this a medieval study on those things? I turn the cover and I see what appears to be a picture book. I guess this is some folklore or fairytale.

Alright, first chapter…

_In the time before the gods, there was the darkness._

_A beautiful being of light danced within the darkness. The being sparkled like never before leaving sparks of her beauty upon the endless black._

_The darkness had watched the being. The darkness wanted to know this being. It was afraid of this new existence. It was enchanted by this new existence._

_The darkness tried to approach this beautiful light. A piece of it defying all it knew._

_The Light met with the darkness' piece, glad she wasn't alone._

_But they couldn't touch one another._

_Their existence was opposite, realizing that the other may vanish forever at either's touch._

_However, this did not stop them from holding each other, from embracing each other._

_Beings were opposite, willing to vanish for a touch so amazing and a need to be with another._

_They embraced each other, melting away giving birth to something as they melted in each other's embrace._

_Life was born._

…

That was the first chapter? Wow, that sounded so poetic and pretty.

*Yawn*

I'm tired after one story? Boo! But I need to sleep now. I think I'll take this book with me. I'll ask Flavia tomorrow if I can borrow it.

I pick the book up and blow out the candle.

Oww.

Great, now I'm walking blind out of the library- oww. That was so stupid of me.

…

Oww.

* * *

We were in our last War council at Nagon Rue.

"This is the area of attack we are to best engage them in." Lucile pointed to a river between the borders of Ylisse and Plegia on the map. "On Ikena River."

Some murmuring was heard.

Chrom silenced everyone and Lucile continued.

"Thank you. According to recent reports, there is a major watering city a little up north that created their own system of farming with water. They made what they called a "dam" that controls the river flow to help their town with their crops." It also helps them with traveling around on boats through other docks and such. We will station ourselves in the city." Lucile explained.

"We are fighting in a city?" Lissa asked.

"No, actually we will be engaging Gangrel's forces a few good miles below the city. A small platoon will be guarding the city."

People looked confused, so Lucile continues with her plan. "When we arrive there soon, we will have the platoon man the dam." Lucile pointed back to the battlefield. "We are going to engage Gangrel's forces into a trap. We will face their major army south of the town, from there; we will engage for a while then retreat behind opposite side of the river."

"Why do we disengage?" Gaius inquired.

"Our forces will be weary from all the fighting and the traveling. We are put in a disadvantage right from the start. I'm planning to use the river to change the odds to our favor. While we engage the main army, the platoon while pile up the river flow. By the time we retreat over the river, enough water should be held to unleash a powerful tide of water washing away Gangrel's forces. I'm having Miriel help me with the calculations for this to work."

Chrom then started to speak. "I will lead the charge against Gangrel. He'll be too engrossed with killing me to see the trap laid out for him."

"Offering yourself as bait, Captain? Do you want Frederick to be hospitalized for good?" I ask sarcastically.

Some chuckles are heard, but Chrom says, "If I'm not leading it, then Gangrel won't take the bait."

Lucile ended the meeting with, "I'll work with some of the details a little later. For now, we all better get ready and pack up for the march. We have to get there soon."

So everyone is getting up and ready. As I walk out the door, I take out my necklace.

I see my reflection on it, but I still can't contact Chronos.

"Chronos… Hope your having a better time than me…"

* * *

ALERT!

USER: (CHRONOS) HAS BEEN FOUND...?

-KRRTZ

ACESSING…

ERROR!

MA7O- MAJOR ER- E880R

WARNING- ZZT

…

UPDA-

UPDATE-

# # # #

20200002022

REBOOTING…

FOREIGN PROGRAM DETECTED.

PROFANITY FILTER LEVEL: LOW.

ACESS FOREIGN PROGRAM? **Yes.**

CHANGING ACESS PLANE…

Regna Ferox Chon'sin.

MODE: SUB ALTERNATING OVERVEIW.

* * *

…

…

Ow my head… What the hell happened?

Son of a-

"Oh my head…" shit, I haven't felt this bad since Arnold's birthday in his uncle's bar. Was I drinking?

"Oh you are awake." I hear some chick; pretty sure that isn't mom.

I open up my eyes and some weirdly dressed woman.

"Are you a nurse? Because that is a weird uniform you wearing." I tell her.

She then tells me, "This is all normal wear for us War Clerks."

What the? Is she a cosplayer? Am I in some convention? "You sound and look like those people in Fire Emblem." I joke; I did play the game, but I wasn't that obsessed over it.

She looks at me so weirdly, which I should be doing, and then she says. "I am not familiar with your accent. However, if you are referring to the Fire Emblem are you Ylissean?"

Wow, she really is getting into character. "OK, quit roleplaying and just bring me to the nearest hospital. That or bring me back to my car." Hey, what the hell am I wearing? I look like those zippy level one swords people from that game… Is this some kind of sick joke?

"Sir, you are in the hospital and I don't know what a "car" is unless you are referring to this jade dagger that was found with you." That looks really small, but sharp.

OK, something tells me I'm not in Kansas anymore. No seriously, I'm from Kansas. "Wait wait wait. Gimme a moment… Where am I exactly?

The chick responds, "You are in Shiao'lin's Hospital, the major city of Chon'sin. You were brought here by the royal Prince and Princess, Lord Yen'fay and Lady Say'ri. "

She is kidding right?

…Oh God she is isn't. I need to get out now. "Can I leave now?" Before she can say anything, I take the dagger, its scabbard, and leave.

OK, WTF is going on here? Where are the nurses, all the other metal machines, and doctors here? I only see a bunch of people with staves here. Chon'sin? Ylisse? Aren't those names in the game? Son of a *****!

Does this mean I'm really wearing one of those- mryhidons gear or something? Shit, what is this head band on me? And what's that symbol? Feel's familiar… Well, at least my hair is still short and around one inch. If it suddenly grew to the length of those crazy anime people, I would just rip my hair off.

There is the door! I just gotta get out of this strange convention. Either that or I'm having a strange hangover dream. I open the door and I see two people who look eerily familiar.

The woman tells me, "Oh good sir, you have awakened. We were just about to check up on you."

If that woman and man is whom I think it is, I' am totally going to flip.

"Uh… OK… Who are you again?"

"I am Say'ri Princess of Chon'sin and this is my brother Yen'fay." I look to the Ninja-Samurai Hybrid dude, better not get on his bad side. Wait though if he is here then…

"By any chance are your parents the King and Queen?"

Yen'fay starts talking, "Yes, being a Prince and Princess means being heirs to royalty. Was your head injured?" He says that harshly.

"Sorry about that. My head must have been injured during my… Err fall."

"But you were found in a plain." Say'ri tells me.

"Well, I don't remember that well… So just a quick question, where are we?" I really need to make sure that I am not where I think I am.

"Welcome, stranger, to Shiao'lin the capital of Chon'sin." Say'ri tells me. She repeated what the nurse said, so she wasn't lying… but that means.

Oh shit, I'm in the game.

Well, I should at least introduce myself. "My name isn't stranger. My name is William, William Runner." It would be pretty rude to be called stranger while I'm here.

Yen'fay asks, "Sir William, besides your unexplainable headache, what were you doing nearby Chon'sin?"

"I really don't know… My head still hurts. The last thing I remember was… going in my… local shop then next thing I know, I woke up here." I clutch my head. Damn, my head is hurting like crazy. But I was on my way to simply buy some snacks for my little brother.

"Are you alright sir?" Say'ri asks me.

"Sorry no… I just need some time to think how I got here…" God, my head.

*Caw!*

I look to a tree and I see a raven with green eyes staring at me creepily. It then flies away… I am so confused right now.

"Say'ri, we must go now."

"…Alright. Farewell, William." Say'ri and her brother then came to a carriage and then rode away quickly.

So what do I do now?

Maybe I should meet with the main character dudes…

Bullshit, I'm not doing that. I don't even know the first thing on how to fight!

I'm not risking my life just so I could potentially die while finding answers. Main characters always have trouble attached to them like dirt to the ground. Just because you give me some weird clothes and a dagger, doesn't mean I'll blindly charge at people wearing red.

Hell if I wanted that, I would've just continued playing Halo. (I mean I like the game, but meh. I have a sarcastic reputation to keep to my friends.)

"Caw!"

… Is that the same raven again? You know, it seems to be suggesting me to follow it…

Alright, let me look at my options:

1. Find the main characters, join their epic quest to save the world while fighting against hordes of other people/monsters, and eventually face off against a giant dragon that can't just fly upside down for one second. Or…

2. Follow a creepy raven to what maybe something beyond my mortal comprehension.

…

"Bird, If I'm not impressed by the time I stop following you, I'm eating you for dinner." I walk up to it.

It flies of a distance heading to a nearby mountain.

Wait… don't tell me I have to-

* * *

"GAAAHH! *Huff* *Huuf* *Wheeze*"

When I find that bird, I am going to slowly roast it alive in a fire and watch as it struggles in agony from being burnt for a good meal… for other animals.

But despite what I'm going to do to it, I was pretty stupid in actually climbing up this damn mountain.

There seems to be some Japanese looking shrine-temple thing up here. I'm facing its side and…

Are… are those stairs? There were stairs that lead here?!

I'm killing that bird!

"Caw!"

I see the blasted ink covered pigeon on the archway before the Japanese like shrine. "You're dead, Bird!"

I ran blindly at it while it just stays there just staring at me.

When I'm right under the archway, I hear a disturbing voice going to my direction.

"Yen'fay! How dare you keep me wait- You're not Yen'fay!"

I look to see some-… person looking at me. I think he is that evil tactician dude… But while Say'ri and Yen'fay looked prettier and cooler in real life…

"Damn, you're an ugly bastard." Shit, did I say that out loud?

"How dare you!? You dare speak to I, Excellus, in such insulting manner?"

Oh wanna play like that? "I don't haveth any form of thought as to why thou speakth like that? This shan't be your home where everyone speaks all your slurs like spit! Does thou even hoist?!" Damn it Larry, I knew I shouldn't have role-played with you!

"Die scum!" he takes out a- book? Oh what are you going to do, read a bed time story till I die-

"Bolganone!" the air around him turns to yellow moving lines and I see cracks coming in the ground beneath me. I forgot they have magic here.

I quickly jump out of the way. Whoa- I don't remember jumping so strongly!?

"You'll pay for that, you little cockroach!" He points his hand at me again.

[Recommended Music= Two Steps from Hell- Run like Hell]

He tries again but I easily dodge.

I look to my hands and move them around. I lightly hop only to find myself quite light on my feet. It feels way easier to move for some reason.

The ugly bastard points out to me and I notice that there are some other soldiers nearby with some chick tied up. They charge at me and leave the girl there.

A dude with a spear comes and tries to stab me, but he seems a little slow for me. I easily dodge and back away. The other asshole shoots an arrow at me but it is only a little faster and I dodge again.

"He is an unarmed nobody! Why can't you kill that dastard yet?" I can't tell if that's a guy or a girl.

"Dastard? Don't you mean bastard, you bastard?" I tell- … it.

"Oh…You must be a foreigner, you're style of clothes don't match the locals and your accent on words is unknown to me. But that makes erasing you much easier since no one here will look for you!" The thing fires another annoying blast of magic. I avoid it easily.

I can't keep dodging these things forever, even though I probably could. If I recall, I have a dagger don't I?

I take out the green dagger and the two soldiers take a step back.

The thing tells it subordinates. "Don't just stand there you fools! It's just a dagger, kill him!"

I played enough games to know how to use a dagger, though I can't believe I'm in a fight to the death.

The lance man charges right at me. I sidestep and move to him; I bring up the dagger and jam it right between his neck and shoulder. He cries out in pain and some blood squirts on me.

… Wtf that was brutal; why did I do that?! And why don't I feel anything? Like disgust or-

"Bolganone!"

My thoughts get interrupted as another attempted fire blast is sent my way. I'm getting really tired of it.

I rush towards the annoying bastard, dagger in arm. I'm pissed at him, so I won't think twice about killing him.

There is an odd look in that bastard's face as it becomes even uglier. I jump high and try to stab him in the forehead. The thing vanishes and appears right to the girl.

"I-if you don't stop now, I'll kill this girl! You wouldn't want to hurt would you?" He aims a spell at her and the archer comes up and prepares a bow behind me.

The girl is gagged and blindfolded along with the rope tying her up. I personally don't care about her in the least, but hey I wouldn't be a decent human being if I just let her die in this situation.

"Drop your dagger!" The archer behind me states.

I breathe in deeply then I slowly put my dag-

"AAYG! Get away from me you stupid bird!"

I look back up and see the stupid bird is flying up and pecking the stupid gender challenged bastard in the face.

I smile, "Looks like I'm not eating you for dinner after all, bird!" I swing my body and lunge at the archer who was still distracted at the bird. I aimed right for his chest and stabbed him. I twist the dagger and pull it out easily- you know I expected that to be harder than that. I am cutting these guys like butter!

The raven flies off the idiot and I walk to him. He opens up his book again and I throw my dagger at it, which knocks it out of his hand and gets dug into the wall.

"L-look! I m-am Excellus, tactician of the all powerful Walhart! You harm me and you'll face a wrath fiercer than any god you worship!" He tries to threaten me.

"That is enough…"

[End Music]

There is a sudden blade near my neck and I stop in my tracks. I look over and see Yen'fay holding the powerful looking blade.

"Ahh, Yen'fay, thank goodness you're here! You have some nerve having your men attack a messenger of Walhart like that!"

"… He is not one of us. He was a foreigner we picked up, a mistake that can easily be corrected…" What, you're going to unfind me? Good luck with that…

"Yeah these guys found me, but how was I supposed to know you guys were meeting here? Last time I checked you attacked me first." I say. I feel really off. I would expect to be afraid in this situation. I mean anyone normal would be, but I'm not really afraid.

"You're lucky my business here is too important for me to dirty my hands on you, filth!" You know his name doesn't even stick in my head, I think I'll call this guy a fag next time.

Still this blade is very uncomfortable near my neck. Hey wait a sec… "Hey, blade dude."

The samurai looks at me. "What do you want?"

"I may not be one of your "People", but who is that chick tied up there?" I shift my eyes to the old hostage.

"Kai'tao!?" He goes to her and unties all the wrapping on her.

She seems rather elegant, I personally like her silky and shiny long blonde hair. But I am too focused on my studies to go on dating. Heck, to be honest, I'm not that great with women; besides just being buddies with some of my friend's girlfriends.

Odd, why are my thoughts running around so much?

"Noble cousin? Why would you point a blade at a man who was trying to help me?"

"Hey lady look, I wasn't trying to help you. I came here by accident and I only saw you when the fat lard here threatened to kill you." I tell her while getting my dagger off the wall.

"But still-"

Yen'fey interrupts her. "Kai'tao, go to the city and leave this place. Never look back and flee. Try to get to the Haildom of Ylisse with Say'ri."

"Wha- what are you-"

"Go!"

The woman seems terrified, but she runs away.

"Why was she tied up? We didn't agree to meet here." Yen'fay turns his gaze at the idiot.

"Bah! This place seems better to meet than some random spot in the mountain. It was a lovely place, until that wench tried to shoo us away!"

"What else would you expect? Your face would scare a new born baby." I kick the broken book to the idiot's leg.

"Hmph!" He turns his head away.

"Excellus… may you also include Kai'tao to be spared in the attack?" I see Yen'fay clench his fist as he does this. He loved his sister right? That was why he betrayed his entire kingdom… right?

"What?! You keep me waiting, bring more trouble to me because of that little insect, and now you're asking more of me!? … Ohohoho. I may accept your offer; however, I can't keep that little stain on my cloak." He looked to me when he said _stain_.

"Then I will remove him for you." Yen'fay then points his blade at me.

The others seemed easy. But him?! I think my fear is starting to come back at the worst time…

[Recommended Music= Brand X Music- Decimate (Volume 16,2012)]

I hear a large boom. I then hear large shouting followed by clashing metal and explosions. Smoke comes and fills the once clear blue sky.

"… Will you keep it then?" Yen'fay asks as he takes a scary looking fighting position.

"Hmph! Fine, just be sure to kill this brat and I'll spare your little cousin too." With that the idiot vanishes leaving me with one of the best swordsmen in this game.

"Forgive me." He lunges at me at blinding speed. I barley dodge the blade and I get kicked to the wall. I look up and I see him jumping at me and I get out of the way.

He then cuts the wall in half. He cut the F—ing wall in HALF!?

From there, he swings the blade in the air then a shock wave comes from the slash and heads straight for me. Shit! That thing can fire beams?! He charges at me again trying to stab me. I am able to parry him by placing my dagger in front of his sword. He then pushes forward and slams me into a wall. He tries to slash me when I get hit in the wall. I roll out of the way and run away from the dude.

It's a face off now. He is waiting me to make a move. I can't take much more of this; I don't even have an opportunity to attack him. I quickly scan my surroundings: I can't take the exit; the angling would have me pass through him. I think I can lose him in the temple though…

I dash quickly to the shrine and I – Augh! I tripped on the stairway?! Shit!

He is preparing another shock wave!

This is the worst day of my life!

[End Music]

* * *

RESTABLISHING PREVIOUS CONNECTION.

LOSING USER SIGNAL.

Chon'sin Ylissean Border

MODE: OVERVEIW.

* * *

How the heck did this happen?!

Lucile messed up big time! In the worst possible time!

But in her defense, I bet she didn't expect Mother Freaking Nature to freaking split the Ikena River in half!

"I'm so sorry guys…" Lucile said as she took out her Archthunder tome.

"It's not your fault, we all make mistakes…" Chrom said in his shiny new Great lord armor.

Let me think about that a little more. Somehow, the water flow was too much and overflowed from the river and washed away a chunk of our army! Not to mention the original river was a little late in washing the enemy away! Now the all the Shepherds are trapped with Gangrel's elite guard! And to add insult to injury, the weather got from OK to freaking bad! We can't expect much air support from either army!

Curse you Mother Nature!

"Some plan your stupid wench of a tactician came up with!" Gangrel mockingly laughed and pointed his blade to Chrom. The thunder boomed, lightning was crashing and the winds were blowing hard. "Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"

Chrom pointed Falchion to Gangrel. "My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel. But as long as you draw breath, it can never come. For Ylisse!"

[Recommended music= Two Steps From Hell- False King]

Gangrel and his men charged at us. We were all prepared. And I now totally regret not using my master seal yet. I still have it but- shoot! Sword master!

* * *

OVERVEIW DISABLED.

* * *

Gangrel and Chrom clashed blades. Gangrel's Levi sword started charging up. Chrom backed off and avoided the fierce thunder that struck his previous area. Lucile did a cover blast to the Mad King. But he dodged it and two sages came in and started firing at Lucile. Chrom and Lucile Regrouped and started their counter attack.

We find two different magic casters back to back. "Hmm… does it vex you to know you turn on former comrades?" Miriel adjusted her glasses.

"They don't spark any _happy_ memories. Even if they did, I probably accidently erased them in an experiment." She gently rubs her tome then she opens it. "Oh, and most of my happy memories come from successful dark experiments anyway." They both start shooting magic bolts at enemies, but one assassin comes in close range, it forces both spell casters to retreat back and avoid the attacks.

"ROAR!" (Thunder:Boom!)

Nowi fired a blast at a group of archers which hit most of them. Two snipers aimed right for her but her scales were thick enough to block them both. Below her, Gregor was facing against a warrior (Upgrade of fighter) and a hero. Gregor shield rammed the Warrior; then the hero attacked him in the side in which Gregor clashed blades with him. The warrior quickly got back up and kicked Gregor's shield and forced him back.

Nowi looked down and saw Gregor being pushed back. She tried to get to him, but she now noticed the snipers were now partnered with sorcerers she had to fly around and avoid all the dark spells and the arrows.

"Ugh!" Lon'qu was hurt in the arm by one of three heroes ganging up on him. Another hero rushed towards him, but he backed off from a thunder strike that was about to hit him.

"Naga, give us strength!" Lon'qu's wound then healed up quickly and he repositioned himself near Libra who held a recovery staff and a bolt axe.

"Thanks…" Lon'qu mentioned. Then he went back into the fray. He clashed his blade to a hero's shield and rolled to the side, hitting a exposed side of the hero and slashing him in the waist. The hero was damaged, yet he was still able to use his shield to knock Lon'qu a few spaces back and another one of the three heroes engaged Lon'qu. Libra was going to use his axe to hit the injured hero, but the last hero went for him. Libra barley dodged the attack and clashed weapons with the hero. Libra wasn't as strong as the hero and he was being pushed back.

"HA!" Sully powered through a berserker with her killer lance. Some arrows were shot to her but they couldn't get through her thick Great Knight armor. The archers were then blasted away with a strong Elfire magic.

"Hey, thanks for the assist, Maribelle." Sully said. Maribelle came in with her new Valkyrie gear.

Maribelle flipped her hair. "All in a day's-"

"Get out of the way!" Sully went in and blocked a short axe from reaching Marribelle. "Pay attention!"

"Hmph! Those dirt worms shall not get so lucky next time!" Maribelle readied her tome.

Some enemy cavalry lined up all their weapons a rushed at both of them. Sully charged in and Maribelle blasted her spell.

"Whoa! Boy! Down!" Ricken was trying to calm down his new horse. He assumed that being a dark knight would have people take him more seriously, but in this situation, the opposite happened. An enemy sage fired a magic blast at Ricken and it hurt him. The sage was about to do it again until Stahl and his horse jumped and stabbed him from above. He then rode to Ricken.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I- Watch out! Archwind!" Ricken moved Stahl out of the way and launched his magic onto a group of archers and myrmidons. The wind blast stopped the arrows, but the wind magic didn't touch any of enemy. The myrmidons charged at the two and the enemy archers prepared their bow.

(Lightning followed by thunder.)

"Well there is sure an annoying amount of enemies here…" Gaius said as he was being healed by Lissa from a stray arrow.

"Not to mention there all tough customers." Anna said.

"But we gotta win!" Donnel said as he quickly adjusted his helmet. A warrior came in and tried to attack him, but Donnel quickly dodged it and slashed the warrior. Anna ducked from an attack from a hero and slashed his legs. Lissa finished Gaius and they all got ready to attack.

"*Huff* Man, these guys make me wish I wasn't seen right now." Kellam pushed off an attacker and Panne came in kicked the same attacker away.

"Thanks." Kellam said.

"There is still more of the vicious man-spawn about get ready!" Panne said as more attackers charged at them.

"WAH!" Vaike was pushed back and landed on the floor.

"Die Ylissean scum!" A Swordmaster was about to stab him but an arrow forced him away.

"Don't you have any class?" Virion smiled and shot another arrow at the enemy.

The swordmaster deflected the arrow with his sword, but he was suddenly kicked in the stomach.

Vaike had got back up and hit the swordmaster. He swung his axe and got ready to fight.

More swordsmen came up to assist the injured swordmaster, so Vaike and Virion regrouped and backed off.

Among the skies despite the harsh winds and booming thunder, Sumia and Cordelia were facing against a small group of wyvern lords. All of them were expertly flying under harsh conditions.

But when some of the wyvern lords got close to both of them…

"Elwind!" A powerful magic blast momentarily knocked the enemy fliers off.

"Thanks Fortuna." Cordelia said. Looking at their new dark flier.

"We have to end this quickly. We are losing ground and air fast-" She had to avoid a tomahawk nearly hitting her. The wyvern lords pushed their advanced and force the trio back.

Among the battlefield, Knoll and Streaky were running quickly throughout the battlefield. They were avoiding arrows and other speedy enemies and projectiles.

But as Knoll jumped over an enemy something fell from one of his pockets. "Crud, My master seal!"

=meanwhile back with Chrom=

The two were still dueling. Gangrel was laughing louder as the storm seemed to grow worse.

"What's the matter Prince? Can't handle a little storm?! HAHAHA!" He used his blade again to strike Chrom with thunder. Chrom backed off and found himself with almost all his men trapped and surrounded.

"HAHA! This is the end for you!" Gangrel then looks away from the main group. "You know what? Since I didn't kill your sister, I'll kill everyone of your men before I kill you! Starting with the fool who made fun of me!" Gangrel pointed his blade to a distance where a boy and a wolf just picked up a round object from the ground.

"Knoll, get out of the way!" Chrom yelled.

Knoll looked towards his direction and saw lightning about to strike him. He thought he didn't have enough time to move.

Thoughts raced around Knoll's head: one of them was...

"This is the worst day of my life!"

* * *

**Well aren't they in a pickle?**

**So a new person has been brought to this "game" and the timing couldn't be worse.**

**I wonder how they both will fair… In THIS next scene! **

**Hit it!**

* * *

=Chon'sin=

OVERVIEW ENABLED

Shit!

"HA!" Yen'fay slashed. The shockwave was heading towards me.

"CAW!" I hear the raven call out and a large gust of wind blows my way!

I try to see what happens: The wind was so strong it somehow changed the direction of the shockwave!? (Seems legit.)

The wave cuts the entire shrine and it slides down and breaks. I get back up and the raven lands on my shoulder.

Yen'fey and I seemed confused, but we both face each other. I nervous as hell trying to survive-

"HISSSSSSS!"

A snake?

"Holy shi-"

What is that?! What the hell is that!? There was a giant, blue snake in that temple!?

I back away slowly, but the raven on my shoulder- "CAW!"

The giant snake looks at all of us.

Fen'fay fires a shockwave at it. But it easily dodges it. It's eyes suddenly glow blue and-

…

Ugh…

Oh my head, again?

"Good Sir, wake up!"

I open my eyes and I see a familiar face.

"Hey you're that cousin girl…" I say groggily.

"I am glad you are alright, Sir William." I look over and I see Say'ri. Her eyes are red.

"Dear Cousin we must flee!" the priestess tells Say'ri.

"… Yes, we must take him out of here as well."

They both help me to my feet and drag me out of what appears to be the road. I look back and I see the capital city in flames.

But how did I get here? And what was that Snake?

… Ugh, I'm too tired… I'm aching all over… I'll just close my eyes a little…

* * *

=Plegia/Ylisse border Or Ikena River=

CRAP! It's about to hit me!

I take a quick glance at my hand and look at the master seal.

Here goes nothing!

I put the seal in front of me and Streaky to absorb the attack…

BOOM!

=Back with the Shepherds=

Gangrel laughs "HAHAHA!"

"KNOLL!" Chrom and the others yell.

"You dastard!" Chrom yells angrily and points his blade at Gangrel.

Gangrel started laughing and made a mocking face to his enemy "Oh you should have seen the look-" Gangrel couldn't finish because what appeared to be a broken master seal was thrown hard at his head and it knocked him over.

Everyone looked over and saw electricity dancing around and a light fading to reveal Knoll and Streaky unharmed.

=Back with Knoll=

[Globus - Europa (Instrumental Version)]

I feel really tingly. The light is starting to fade and I take a quick glance at myself- hey this does look like my future armor! But why does it look like a blue version of Altair's assassin clothes? I might get sued if anyone found out I was wearing AC clothes in FE.

"BARK!"

Dang, Streaky! You grew you're like the size of the Wolf from Young Justice! Heck! And you turned white… and you're wearing some bad ass looking armor!

I feel an odd power coursing through me that compels me to say… "Streaky, now!"

Streaky makes a loud howl and the storm seems to stop. The clouds part and I see the sun again. I also feel even better for some reason…

"Ugh! Insolent little brat! You'll pay for throwing trash at me!" I look over and see Gangrel getting back up.

I then notice my friends who were also looking at themselves.

"Hey Chrom…" Lucile said.

"Yeah… I feel like I can topple a castle! Shepherds, we caught our second wind, so let's push them all back!" Chrom charge straight for Gangrel

"AAAAHHH!" Everyone charged in.

Everyone felt empowered by some mystic surge. And easily pushed back and defeated the enmies they were all having trouble with.

In the fight between Chrom and Gangrel, Gangrel was slowly losing ground to Chrom's fierce assault.

Gangrel backed off and launched an angry shock of lightning to Chrom, only for Lucile and me to come in and just protect Chrom from the attack. He looked at both of us with a smile and he jumped to the air and used his jumping spin attack. It came to Gangrel faster than we all expected.

"F-fool of… a Prince… Your people care not for you… You are…alone… As every man lives or dies: …Alone…"

And with that… Gangrel was defeated.

The Elite Guard surrendered and Flavia and Basilio were able to reconnect with us.

=later=

It's odd how I find myself with Chrom, Lucile, and the Khans about the last closing agreements about this war. I feel so relieved this has all been put to rest.

Basilio then said, "Yes, pity the man who stands between Flavia and a full coffer, boy."

That reminds me… "Hey that reminds me. Captain, can I have a raise now? I still am dead broke for some blasted reason."

Everyone laughed heartily…at me. But Basilio eyed me with some curiosity. "Hey, Kid? I heard your story just now… Your armor reminds me of something…" he rubbed his chin.

Lucile commented in. "Yeah, I mean if you used it before I would have expected you to either turn to an assassin or a trickster class, but that armor looks so different from either."

"You know…" Flavia starts. "It reminds me of some clothes a powerful group of warriors in Regena Ferox used to wear."

"Really?" Chrom seemed interested as did everyone.

"What is it?" I ask.

Flavia continued. "There used to be a powerful fighter known as a Hunter. These skilled warriors were amazing with Lances, Swords, and Bows. They would mostly be found in forests because they seemed to have a strong connection to nature. There was also a rumor of their ability called "Empowering Aura." This ability was rumored to increase all allies fighting capacity slightly."

"That explains the power surge from earlier." Lucile thought. "But isn't it like a rally tactic?"

"I hear that the Aura is permanent and specifically targets all allies. So it's more efficient than a rally." Basillio said.

"Wow, that all sounds cool. I'm a Hunter now! Cool!" I smile wide.

"Well we better get going, We have a lot to patch up." The khans leave with me and Streaky Close behind them. I look back and see Chrom trying to tell Lucile something… hehe… So that's the paring huh?

I cross my arms behind my head and look to the sky.

+_FINALLY! Knoll what did I mis- What are you wearing? What happened to Streaky?!_+

(… CHRONOS! WAAAAHHHH, YOURE BACK!)

* * *

**And that ends the first saga!**

**YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!**

**OH GAWD, I FEEL SO GOOD RIGHT NOW!**

**(****°□°)**

**Ahhh… much better….**

**Huge thanks to "Legendary Emblem" who suggested the song:**[Globus - Europa (Instrumental Version)]

**Rock on! you majestic beast! (Sorry for misspell first time.)  
**

**Now let me try to list everyone who was upgraded to what.**

**Vaike= Warrior**

**Kellam= General**

**Sumia= Falcon Knight**

**Cordeila= Falcon Knight**

**Lissa= Sage**

**Donnel= Hero**

**Ricken= Dark knight**

**Gaius= Assassin**

**Lon'qu= Swordmaster**

**Miriel= Sage**

**Gregor= Hero**

**Tharja= Sorcerer**

**Maribelle= Valkryie**

**Stahl= Paladin**

**Sully= Great Knight**

**Virion= Sniper**

**Fortuna= Dark Flier**

**Chrom= Great Lord**

**Lucile= Grandmaster**

**Knoll= Hunter**

**The others were all already upgraded or can't be upgraded.**

**Now it's finally time for the two year saga. **

**It will be shorter than this one for sure. But it will have a few arch's here in there.**

**And we introduce a new character= William Runner!**

**I had him appear in my version of how Chon'sin fell to Walhart!**

**He is a little more sarcastic and pessimistic than Knoll, but I plan for these two to meet in person when the Valm thing starts. **

**I may include a chapter about him during the skip saga.**

**But with that it's finally time to end the first saga!**

**GO QUOTE GO!**

_In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.__  
__-__Robert Frost_

**Thank you all for staying with me this long. And please review or comment!**


	21. Phase 2 Update 1

PHASE 2 INITIATING…

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 1

SYSTEM RESTORATION ENTERING SECOND STAGE…

ACTIVATING CROSS GUARD REFERENCING…

ACTIVATING NEURAL SENSORS.

STATUS: Alright.

MODE: OVERVIEW.

* * *

Ahh… Peace is in the air…

So why the heck am I in this pirate costume, wearing a mustache and an eye patch, talking in a funny accent, and dealing with the medieval equivalent of gangsters!?

"Well I tell ye, we be havin a real deal under this belt of mine!" I fake the accent. I really have to be careful with this.

"That is rather interesting Mr… Oneeye…" The mob leader tells me suspiciously.

I pretend to laugh heartily like those pirates.

Now there is an awkward silence…

Must… not… scratch fake beard!

"Well then alright you seem good enough… Boys!? *Snap!*" The mob boss snaps his fingers and his men bring in two barrels.

"Oi, they better be what ye promised!" I say.

"I don't joke around in business, Mr. Oneeye."

I rub/scratch my fake beard. "… Just ta be sure… Oi, Anna! Come here for a sec!"

Our Anna comes in with her special disguise: green hair and a pirate like uniform. Why do I have to be the one with the insane get up?

"You have an Anna with you? I can see why you are so cautious with this." The mob leader then lights an old looking cigarette with a dark mage's fire. (I think it was called tobacco in the past. I didn't know it was reachable here though.)

"So… tis it be the real thing?" I ask Anna.

"Sure is, Captain!" she smiles and salutes.

I look to the mob boss with my best crooked smile and put out my hand. (Not the fake hook one.) "Well then, we would like ta make _Business_ with ya!"

He reaches out to shake my hand; I grab it and do a firm shake- then I immediately grip it and pull him over the table and punch him in the face with my new hand.

"Boss!" one of the gang members tries to move, but Anna raises a blade against one of them.

"What's going on here!?" the others scream and panic.

I remove the beard and fake facial hair. "You're all under arrest for illegal smuggling of drugs." I say to them.

One of them points to me. "You! You're one of them Shepherds! You're Maribelle!"

…

Anna chuckles a little.

"You twit! That's a girl's name; it's obvious he is Libra!"

…

"No no! You both got it wrong! He is obviously that kid that wears a pot for a head!"

I lose it. "YOU ALL BETTER SHUT UP NOW BEFORE I BUST YOUR KNEE CAPS! *huff* *huff*" they all stay silent except for Anna who is silently chuckling.

"HAHAHA! Oh – just *Wheeze* stop! You guys are killing me!"I look behind me and see Gaius come in with some of our men all of whom are holding in laughs.

"JUST ARREST THEM!" I yell out and leave.

I hear one last member before I leave, "Now I remember, his name is Streaky!"

* * *

+_HAHAHAHA! Oh Stop It, Stop! I can't stop Laughing! AHAHAHA+_

(Chronos, you suck.)

The laughter is so humiliating and my day isn't even done!

Right now, I'm just sitting on a chair in a nearby restaurant and people are still awkwardly staring at me.

"Hey, Streaky." I look over with a glare to Gaius and Anna who seem to be preventing themselves from chuckling at what just happened.

"… Kill me now." I remove the coat and toss it to Anna.

"Oh come on, Loony don't be like that. Here is your canteen of water. Drink your sorrows away." Gaius tosses me the closest thing to water. He and Anna take a seat at my table.

I facepalm and take the thing. I breathe in deeply. "So were they hiding more back there?"

"Yep, they were all good in hiding those things. They used labels of spice to fool the other inspectors in smuggling it in. I had to admit they were quite good in hiding its scent. I almost didn't recognize it for a second." Anna told us.

"Ever since the whole speech from that F.A. in Plegia, movement from the black market has increased. More bandit attacks on farmers, more dealings and trading going on, and some gangs are gaining power. There must be some new support for them with that whole "New Government" speech." I analyze.

"Well that means we still have more work to do even when the war is over…" Gaius says; he then stands up. "Hmp! Well then, let's put these punks in jail and head back to command."

We all leave the restaurant.

I can't help but feel so tired right now.

* * *

Ah… Home!

Or Shepherd's HQ. That's what I call this garrison now. Ever since the war ended, I've been sleeping, training, and being sent to missions from here. Despite the usual arresting gangs, it's all fairly boring.

I enter in and I see Streaky with Lissa and Donnel. Streaky tackles me and starts licking me.

"Haha! Hey! That tickles! I missed you too, girl." She gets off me and I get helped up by Donnel and Gaius.

"So how was the mission, guys?" Lissa asked.

The two redheads start laughing and I say "It's wasn't that funny!"

"What happened?" Donnel asked.

"Gaius, I swear…" I eye him evily.

Then Anna goes off and tells them.

Amongst the new laughter, I glare at Anna. "Anna…" She just smiles at me. I just yawn and stretch my arms. "Well I'm going to take a nap now. Then work on my composition. Hey, is Stahl, Cordelia and/or Olivia here yet?"

"Cordelia and Stahl are in separate missions. Olivia should be in the practice halls." Lissa tells me.

"OK thanks. See ya later!" Streaky follows me into my room. I jump and lay down on the bed. I take out the Elements book and my audio log.

I press the button and start re collecting my thoughts over the week. "Knoll's Log # 4. It's been week since the end of the first war and some stuff has happened. Due to the fact Emmeryn was missing, Chrom had to be the new Exalt. He was hesitant but eventually agreed to be a "momentary" Exalt until Emmeryn has been found. With the war out of the way, there seems to be a new focus and goal for both Chrom and his new fiancée Lucile: Finding the Exalt. Since it was one of the F.A. that kidnapped her, we have reason to believe that her location would be somewhere known among black marketers and mob leaders alike. So the Shepherds have been on what feels to be a police hunt. We capture the black marketers, bandits, or any other ties people have to the underworld. After capture, we send them to Frederick for interrogation. So far none of them seem to know the location of the F.A., not even rumors of what their base is like. Most of them say that, to reach them, you need an insane amount of money and one near impossible job for them…"

(… Hey Chronos? Do you think you can detect her?)

+_I can't do that. Even if I could, The Interferer would block that detection._+

I sit back up on my bed.

(I still find it odd that you were sent to Chon'sin.)

+_Someone was able to send me there. But I don't have the slightest clue as to why they did that. The shrine there prevented me from moving. When it was destroyed, I was freed. I sent away the fighters that freed me in a random location and I headed back here._+

I nod then move on back to the log. "Well I met Olivia a few days after the war. Basilio had her join us as well. She was surprisingly hot and cute in real life. I might not have been making eye contact a few times… She is really shy, but she seems to get along with us all fine, especially Nowi now. Lastly, in three months from now, Lucile and Chrom will have their wedding! It's going to be so huge! … And they asked **me** to organize the music for the entire thing… I'm doomed!" I stop the recording and fall to hide my face under the pillow.

+_You sing one song and then everyone thinks you're a musical genius._+

I talk from beneath the pillow. "Chronof waf am e Fo do?"

+_Hmm… Maybe I can work something out by copying the mystic energy of your guitar into your mind. I still see it over there collecting dust on your room._+

(That's great! But most of the music I know is from my world! Captain wants me to orchestrate the royal band! Can you also somehow give me the ability to turn in some of the music scores?)

+_That shouldn't be too hard. Come on, let's think of some music while you're still free._+

* * *

OVERVIEW: DISABLED.

=Five days ago/ Ikena River=

The scene is set in the battle field where The Mad King fell.

"Ggrr… Ugh…"

Gangrel is seen barely alive and struggling to crawl on his belly.

"… Men are… always alone…" He grumbles to himself.

"Oh, wow he is alive! The boss was right after all."

Gangrel turns his head at what appears to be a young girl dressed up like an Indian (those native people that lived in Columbus' expedition.) He also sees an old tall and skinny man with a large cane.

"Is that really him? I can't really tell…" the old man tries to squint. (Small note: he sounds look those old grandpas in cartoons. The ones with a stretched out high voice.)

"Don't be silly, Ancient! This is definitely da guy!" the girl squeals in delight.

"Who… You?" Gangrel tried to ask from them.

The girl walked up to him and smiled, but then she stomped hard on Gangrel's hand.

"AAAAHH!"

"Hush now, o Mad King. The Benefactor wants you to be alive and well when you meet him." The girl smiles darkly.

"What's that? You want "a live well to beat him"? What's that suppose ta mean, Manure?"

"Ancient! It's Nature! Please get it right!" Nature looks back at Gangrel, "Come on now, we have quite the surprise for you.

This ends with Nature covering Gangrel's eyes.

* * *

RECONNECTING WITH TIME LINE…

RE ACTIVATING OVERVIEW…

* * *

=Lunch time in the Shepherd's garrison=

"Oh come on, Knoll let me see!" Lissa said as she tried to take the music scores from me.

"Look Lissa, I'm still trying to plan everything!" I put them away and I look over to Olivia. "Olivia, while waiting for Cordelia and Stahl, I'm going to need your opinions on the music I chose."

"Uhh… I don't think I'll contribute that much…" Olivia plays with her food a little.

"Don't worry. You'll be dancing as well. I need to make sure you're at least comfortable to dancing with this kind of music. Then I have to make sure I meet up with all the other musicians and make sure they play this right… Not to mention they want to have me do a solo!... Wait a sec, I just realized I have to make enormous amounts of copies of the music sheets I plan!" I bang my head into the table. "There was so much more to this than I expected." I say then I get back up and eat some of the soup here.

"Besides black marketing busting, you seem to have your plate full, Loony." Gaius says as he eats some candies.

"Speaking of marketing, where is Anna?" Lissa asked.

"She said something about re opening one of her old trade business. She said she'll be back for dinner." Gaius said.

The door opened up and the remainder of us looked to see who was back.

"Ricken, Frederick! Welcome back!" I shout out to them.

Frederick addresses us. "Everyone we have a lead in finding the Exalt!"

Everyone was surprised and started talking, "What do you mean?!/Where, how?/ You know where my sister is!?"

"Calm down!" Frederick silenced us and looked around. "Is it just you five?"

"The others haven't returned from their missions or free time yet." I say. "Frederick, what's the lead?"

"The mob leader you, Gaius, and Anna captured told us that one of the F.A. occasionally visits one town just south of here: Katako Village. According to the map, it is also found to be in the direction Marvo ran to from Plegia. He heard rumors that the F.A. just goes there to relax on the night of a full moon."

"That's one creepy rumor." Donnel said.

"And it just so happens that astrologists predict a full moon this night! We need to make haste now or we shall miss our chance if we wait for reinforcements!" Frederick said.

Olivia raised her hand. "Um… what about the current Exalt and Lucile, did you tell them about this?"

"I wished to tell them, but they are both still dealing with the politic works on helping all sides of the war heal their wounds. I sent Sully to message them. Now pack up your gear and get ready to move!"

* * *

=Meanwhile in the Main Ylissean Castle=

"What?! We found a lead?!" Chrom said while slamming the table and having some of the papers fly about.

Lucile chimed in, "Then we have to regroup with the others! This is no time to waste!" She stood up with Chrom, also leaving her pen on top of a huge pile of paperwork.

"Frederick did say that he and the others would handle this, but hell, anything's better than what you two are doing!" Sully told them both.

The three of them all nodded and started heading to the door.

"You're Highnesses!"

All three of them stopped and looked behind them to see an old lady. Dressed in war clerk armor and wearing glasses.

"Err… Duchess Kena! What a surprise! Hehe…" Chrom said as he loosened his collar. "We have some important business to attend-"

"Now I wan't non' o that! Mister Lonair was sick today, so ya all had to do more of the paper work than usual, but I come on out here on the goodness of me heart to help ya poor angels… And now ya dump all da paper work on me?!" she said like a mother scolding her children.

"But Duchess Kena!" Lucile tried to defend. "Our friends have a lead on Emmeryn! We have to go help her!"

She pointed at the soon to be king and queen. "And da people of Ylisse need ya to! I hear o the message! "Your friends be the ones to take on this job for ya!" Ya got's to trust em! They all be knowing the importance ya job be." The two looked down in shame and defeat. Kena pointed back to the desks and both great leaders sat back down in defeat.

Sully slowly backed away. "Err… well then.. I'll be sure to tell Fred-"

"And where do ya think you be goin!? If ya really want these two to get to ya friends faster, then ya better help them with these white squares of ink! Be it sword or pen, there always be a struggle to push through!" Duchess Kena brought in another chair and ink pot and motioned Sully to get in.

Despite usually being so head strong, Sully had to comply with the persuasive and eloquent Duchess Kena.

Kena then claps her hands and smiles widely. "Ain't you all a bunch of angels! I'll be back to get ya some milk for ya bones."

As Kena left the room, all three Shepherds groaned at the amount of paper work scattered around.

* * *

"Really?" I say in disbelief. "Everyone? Even Frederick and Sully?"

"Yep! Nana always knew how to convince anyone out of their tantrums. She was always there to keep even some advisors straight!" Lissa said as she smiled wide.

"I can't believe I've been with the Shepherds this long and only now do I hear of the famous "Nanny" of the Shepherds!" Gaius said chuckling.

"You laugh now but if it wasn't for Lady Kena, I don't think I would be the knight I am today." Frederick said.

I ask, "Didn't you also have a master during your knight hood?"

Frederick answers, "Yes, but Lady Kena had a very unorthodox way for keeping me inspired and motivated."

"Now how was it unorthodox?" Donnel asked.

"That's a story for another day… We should be able to see Katako village right after this hill." Frederick tells us.

As the seven of us walked up the hill, we saw a thick forest. I couldn't see a town beyond the forest but…

"No way! Tree houses!?" An entire village was nestling on the trees! Like that one planet in Episode Six of Star Wars with the Ewoks!

"Yes. Katako village is best known for its tropical fruits and special silk from all of the trees in the area. They actually try to live _with_ nature by making their homes and clothes from natural resources." Frederick explained as we all went in.

I looked around in the scenery. I really felt like I was in another planet as I saw people wear something like half Hawaiian, half Indian clothes. They were smiling and talking on the bridges to other houses above us-

*Whoosh!*

Hey! Where those kids swinging on vines!? It's also like a bit of Tarzan! This world is simply amazing!

"Wow that looks like fun!" Ricken says out loud.

"I'd like to try it to!" I say.

"Bet I could swing faster than both of you." Gaius mocked.

"You're on!" Lissa joins in.

"Everyone!" Frederick said strictly. "We are on a time schedule here. You can have fun here on another occasion, but our mission comes first!"

"Oh…" Even Olivia seemed rather depressed from that.

Frederick sighs. "We need to ask around. Those decorations around their houses suggest that there is some festivity soon." Frederick observed. "We must split up and ask around if it ties in with the full moon tonight and whether they witnessed someone suspicious during the previous times. Do not talk about the F.A. directly, we may lose our chance of finding him if we talk casually about it. Split up in pairs while I try to find the village elder or mayor." Frederick said.

As he leaves ahead, I can't help but smile.

=later=

"Knoll? …I.. uh don't think this is a good idea…" Olivia said.

She and Streaky were just watching me as I was about to be taught how to swing on vines by the local kids.

"It's simple really, Olivia: I'll just ask the kids around for rumors since they are the ones who have the best ears. Even if it's warped greatly from the truth, there is bound to be some clues that can help us! By swinging around, I'll be able to ask the kids what they hear."

Bubba, a kid who is helping me swing, asks me something. "Mister, why can't you just ask directly our parents or us?"

"Because this is more fun."

"Oh… You see, swinging is easy, the transferring is the hard part. For someone a little older and heavier, you'll have to swing for all the thick looking vines. If there is a vine that seems a little thin to you, don't use it. Sometimes you might have to swing the long way just to make sure you can get the thick and strong vines. It's also a good idea not to grab onto a vine that another person recently grabbed on to." Bubba finished explaining to me.

"Alrighty then." I take a grip and try to aim myself at another thick looking vine in the distance.

I jump off and- "Whooohhooooo!"

=With Olivia=

"Oops, I forgot to mention that you have to pay attention that you don't bump into another person's swing." Bubba said as Knoll left.

"Oh, dear… Come on, Streaky." Olivia said as she and Streaky tried to follow Knoll.

=Back with Knoll=

"This. Is. Awesome!" I jump off grabbing onto another thick looking vine and swinging along.

Aww man! Is this how Tarzan feels!? This freaking rocks! The wind in my face, the adrenaline and speed, and best of all I feel like I'm on top of the world!

I try to reach for one more vine… and I suddenly see Gaius and Ricken?!

"Guys!?"

"Knoll!?"

"Whoa hey!?"

*Crash!*

=later=

"Dudes… we totally wiped-out." I manage to laugh a little, but the pain in my head hurts.

"I told you that it wasn't a good idea…" Olivia said.

"Oh, I wanted to try it next!" Lissa pouted. "But I don't think we have enough time now. I wish you three buffoons didn't have to crash on each other!"

Ricken rubbed his head and put his hat back on. "Sorry, but it was a lot of fun."

"I never got to swing by tree vines before, I got curious." Gaius said. Admitting curiosity got the better of him in this.

While we were all trying to argue, I noticed something off with Donnel.

"Hey, Donny. What's bothering you?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked his way.

"Well, I've been noticing for a while, but that tree over yonder." He points to a big and old looking tree just beyond here, and we notice something like a tree mansion built on it. "They call it the old Tree Fort. It's about an old family of witches and other odd mages that use to live in that there tree. On the nights of the full moon, the villagers wear a mask so as not to be cursed from the magic that seeps from over there. The decorations here are all for what they call the Mask Festival."

"So all these decorations are also masks that everyone here is going to wear tonight?" I ask.

Donnel nodded "Yep, one of the locals said it was an old folklore though, so no one ever gets cursed, but it's a fun tradition none the less."

"I don't think that's true!" we all look to see Bubba back with some of his friends.

"What do you mean, kids?" Gaius asks.

"On the last Mask Festival, I and some of my friends were swinging nearby the Tree Fort. We saw shadows moving around in the windows and creepy noises coming from inside the mansion." He says. "The old rumor of the Tree Fort being haunted is true!"

"Wait a sec…" I say. "This only happened the last full moon right? Not any other time after?" I ask the kids.

"Well… no… we were too scared to go near there again." Bubba rubbed his head.

The Shepherds and I looked to each other. "Guys, we need to find Frederick."

* * *

"This must be it then…" Frederick said as we all looked at the old abandoned mansion. "Since we cannot bring our steeds up here, we were to leave them in the care of the village."

Really? Really, an old haunted mansion!? I sigh because apparently, I and the supernatural just go together don't we?

+_Actually, I've been here for a while and I haven't detected a spirit's presence._+

(Chronos, you seem to come in at random times.)

+_I've been trying to look for energy signatures lately, either my senses have been impaired or everyone, including Grima and Naga, have all been eerily silent. I don't detect a spirit here, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong. And I do check in with you time to time, so I don't come in at random times._+

(That's a relief…)

+_Mental sarcasm is not a good form of communication._+

(Fine fine.)

"So are we going in? it's going to be night soon." I say.

"Yes, it's best if we all search the place thoroughly; however, we don't want to be alone if we ware to face the F.A." Frederick gave us a plan. "We will go in two groups of four. Gaius' group will consist of Olivia, Knoll, and… Streaky…" Frederick stares at Streaky weirdly. "Lissa, Ricken, and Donnel are with me. Gaius will try the left side of the fort, and we the other. Be careful as you all go about, there is no telling what we will find in there."

We all head into the Tree Fort, where a very long full moon was awaiting us.

* * *

=Outside of Katako village.=

"The sunset looks beautiful from here… I could watch it for hours…" a man looks into the setting sun.

"Deceit, just hurry up. We finally tracked Voodoo to this location. I don't want to wait a long time to meet with him again." A man wearing a sleek, white knight armor said.

"Fine, Cross. Say… What has Voodoo been doing all this time anyway?"

"Don't you remember? Ever since the attack on Fort Kartol, Voodoo went on an impromptu vacation because he found _something_ that belonged to his ancestors. He has been trying to master the thing ever since."

"What was it again?"

"I don't remember; let's just ask him when we get there."

The two Assassins started walking to the town.

* * *

**Did- Did I just put another chapter out already?!**

**How'd I do that?!**

**Do not expect another quick upload! This one was pure luck!**

**Since I ended this early, I'm going to explain a few things I couldn't go over detail in my other author notes.**

**About chapter 17, I tweaked how the upgrade items like dracoshield and other items work. Instead of increasing a stat by two, I made it double their specific stat. I forgot about this a while back and only recently remembered it. This will help me a little later in making more challenging bosses for the later part of the story.**

**William Runner:**

**He has the design similar to a Myrmidon, but his clothes are black trimmed with dark green.**

**His hair is short and black.**

**He is 20 years old. And just like Knoll, he is in college.**

**Now about the story…**

**I really had fun with making this chapter. I'm starting to notice how fun and easier it is to make chapters not based on the game chapters…**

**But what do you guys think? I'm having a lot of fun so far!**

**Now let me talk about one of the new characters introduced: Duchess Kena.**

**I was going over Fire Emblem and I re-read the part about Chrom and Lissa being "wet-nursed."**

**I don't know what that means- wait gimme a sec…**

…

**Odd, it goes around the meaning that some other woman breast fed them that isn't the mother…**

**But when I heard nurse and since I remembered that their mother died when they were young, I got to thinking "Hey? Wouldn't Lissa have some kind of mother figure in her life besides Emm to help her?" And then bam!**

**I got inspiration to write a sassy and fully of attitude Duchess who won't hesitate to straighten someone if they take one step of the right path. And I personally enjoy writing about her.**

**I also plan to write about Chrom's wedding! Whoop!**

**(Rubs hands evilly.) Oh I have a lot planned for that event…**

**I think the vagueness of the two year skip is complementing my loose imagination which means now I feel less stressed about writing the chapters. But they still might come late so don't expect them to come quickly!**

**I'll end this off now.**

**Wow I really do feel refreshed.**

_The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.__  
__Socrates_

**Thank you all! And Please Comment and Review!**


	22. Phase 2 Update 2

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 2

REACTIVATING PROCESSORS.

ACTIVATING OPTIC SENSORS.

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Ahh… Thank you for your time." Cross bows and waves goodbye to a civilian.

"Woohoo!" A man comes down from swinging on vines and lands on a tree house. "Cross, you have got to try this! It's a lot of fun."

Cross folded his arms. "Act your age, Deceit."

"This coming from you?" he jokes.

"I've been asking around. Oddly enough, we aren't the only people looking for Voodoo."

"Really, who else knows about him? And what idiots _want_ to find him?" Deceit asked.

"Ylisse's finest warriors: The Shepherds." Cross mocked. "According to some of the locals, a group of Shepherds were also looking for the person we are looking for. They are taking care of some of their horses over there." Cross points over to two unmanned horses.

"Well this makes things interesting…" Deceit smiles wide.

"We need to hurry up and find Voodoo before the Shepherds do."

They both head towards the old Tree Fort.

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED.

… I open the door and I see another empty broken room. We are only in the first floor of this place and we still haven't found anything. Going up would be the logical choice, but we have to search all of the first floor.

"Did you find anything there, Loony?" Gaius asked.

"Nope, just another beaten up room. Weird, this place really feels like a wooden copy of a regular mansion, but there are no signs of any furniture or chandeliers." I note out. I look up and notice a hole in the ceiling showing another empty looking room. Yeesh, there are so many holes here from floor to floor.

"Uh… K-Knoll…" Olivia stammered. "What's going on with Streaky? She seems to be rubbing her nose a lot…" She points over to Streaky who sneezes and starts rubbing her nose.

"Oh poor girl. Something must be wrong with her nose. So much for having her sniff-out the F.A." I say and rub her head.

Gaius sniffs the air, "Hey… you have a point, and there is an odd smell in the air… Smells like… burnt hair?"

I never smelled burnt hair, but there does seem to be a nasty smell in the air. I mean, I can even smell it despite my terrible sense of smell. Hey wait a sec…

"Maybe we should follow the smell. It might lead us to the F.A." I say.

"I don't know about that… Since this place looks old, there might be something just dead in here that's giving off that smell." Gaius tells me.

I respond with, "If by some remote chance that this smell is his trash, or worst case scenario: a victim; then we might find the room he, at least, frequents."

"You seem… rather unsure about that." Olivia said.

I just shrug. "My mind is kinda loose when it comes to speculating theories."

Both Gaius and Olivia look at me before Gaius says, "Well, you were right about Alkoni, let's see how this one will go."

We end up following the smell to the second floor. To a room where there was no door, but the door way was covered in green beads.

We walk through it and finally we see furniture.

…And by furniture I mean a room filled with masks like those wild savages wear. The masks were all over the walls, a cauldron with some odd bubbly blue- thing inside it on one side, tables of bloody and weird looking tools placed in an organized matter, and the ceiling- oh gosh, the ceiling- the ceiling was covered with sock dolls all being hung by their necks and their rope being tied to the ceiling.

"What is this place?" I look into the cauldron, the source of the smell, and for one second a face appears- "AAAH!" I back off quickly from it.

"Knoll! You frightened me!" Olivia said.

"I saw the potion move!" I point to it.

"The smell is coming from here…, but where is the guy?" Gaius took a look at the pot without seeing what I saw.

I wonder if I was just seeing things when I saw that face.

I looked to one of the dolls on the ceiling. As I was wondering what those odd dolls were, something caught my eye. "Guys, those dolls over there, don't they look a little like some of the kids earlier?"

I point over and look specifically to one doll. It reminds me of Bubba a little while back.

"It does look like them." Olivia noted.

Dolls that look like people? Wait a sec… "Are these voodoo dolls?" I say out loud.

"Voo- what?" Gaius asked me. He and Olivia looked confused.

I try to explain to them. "I heard rumors of these, but voodoo dolls are an exotic form of dark magic. It connects the doll to the person it looks like, so whatever happens to the doll, happens to the person. If I were to rip off the head of that doll, then Bubba's head with be ripped off."

"That sounds scary!" Olivia said.

"But I heard the main source of this magic is the connection part of it. The dolls need a piece of the person for it to work. Like hair or a tooth. Otherwise, it's just a normal doll. Since these dolls are all hung by the neck and since no one in town seems to be chocking to death. These are just dolls." I say.

"You know a lot about these things…" Gaius eyes me weirdly.

Uh oh, time to roleplay! "Like I said, I come from a very creative story making place. My town was boring, but stories were plentiful. Everyone could write literally anything and usually they would have some facts that translate over to reality, but I'm getting off topic. If the Assassin isn't here, then where could he be?"

We all look around the room. There are signs of it being used, but the Assassin wasn't here.

"Is he hiding somewhere else?" Olivia asked.

"Don't think so- but I wouldn't know. I would imagine him a great fighter, but we don't know much about him. He does give off a creepy feel to him." I say. Thinking over the fact he lives in an abandoned tree mansion, is seen only in the full moon, and that one of his rooms is like that of a witch doctor.

"We should probably continue the search." Gaius said to which we all agreed and left out.

"But where do we go now? Aimlessly search again?" I ask as we all head out.

"We haven't checked the other rooms on this floor, only this one." Olivia said.

"If we check the ones here, wouldn't we have to check all the other rooms we missed at the first floor?" I point out.

All of us (even Streaky) look to Gaius since he was put in command in this group.

"A bit annoying, but let's continue our search downstairs. There might be more rooms like this we missed." He decided.

We all left the room and headed back down stairs.

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Such a gloomy place this is! I can't fathom as to why comrade Voodoo would live in such conditions here." Deceit complained.

"… When did you change? You look like a man from the village?" Cross asked because Deceit had changed his appearance into a different man.

"I like to change my appearance often, dear boy. Keep up with current events!" Deceit told his ally.

"I wish you wouldn't have to change your personality each time you copy a character." Cross rubbed his helm. "Anyway, you check the right side and I'll check the left. Do not engage the Shepherds head on; they should be in a large group. A good course of counter measure would be to pick them off one by one."

Deceit swung his arm and snapped his fingers at the same time. "Well planned my lad!"

"… If they still overwhelm you, retreat and search for Voodoo. Remember, finding and escaping with Voodoo is top priority." Cross finished sternly. "Don't worry about each other, if a fight does breakout, then it should be fairly easy to feel or hear it from the opposite side since this place looks old."

"Very good then. I'll be off skaddeling along now! Cheerio!" Deceit goes off happily skipping.

Cross facepalms "Even the twin's rhyming wasn't this bad…" and he goes off in the opposite direction.

He walks off and checks the first door nearest to him. He finds an empty room. Cross closes the door and notices something on the door knob.

He kneels down and takes a look at it. He then moves over to the next door and inspects the door knob again.

"…Clever, Voodoo. To think you thought of this… It will be much easier to find you now." He speaks out loud and he gets back up.

Cross then heads over to stairway, but before he does, he hears footsteps coming from above.

He hid and thoughts raced in his head as he peeked to the top of the stair case. ("Deceit? No, he went right! Voodoo then? No, there are multiple sounds! It's the Shepherds!") Cross takes out one of his crossbows and aims it at the top. ("I'll kill the first one I see. By the sound of footsteps, there should be around 5 people. I'll kill the other two as soon as the front one dies, leaving the last two easy prey from the commotion.")

* * *

**Sorry, little note here: Cross is an expert at detection and usually recognizes the amount of people by the rhythm of footsteps. He is counting Streaky as "two people" because Streaky has four legs and Cross only trained himself to listen to human footstep patterns. Alright back to the story.**

* * *

[Recommended music= Christoph Rauch Music - Hybrid Warrior (Dark Choral Action)]

"Ugh, this place gets creepier each minute. I swear these boards are even getting squeakier!" Knoll cries out.

"Are you sure you're not mixing the words "creepy" and "annoying", Loony?" Gaius says.

Knoll looks back while still moving ahead, "Hunh, gues-"

Olivia screams. "Knoll, look out!"

*Click!*

*BANG!*

"AGH!"

"Knoll!" They all yelled.

"My Head!" Knoll said.

("Shit, I missed!") Cross thought.

What happened was this: Knoll looked away for one second and unknowingly walked to the staircase. At the same time Knoll looked back, Cross fired an arrow at Knoll's head. Olivia shouted Knoll to watch out, not because she saw the assassin, but she wanted to warn Knoll to watch his step. Knoll then lost his balance when he reached the stair way and fell over into the stairs. The moment he fell, the arrow barely missed Knoll and hit the wall. Knoll landed on his head during the fall though and screamed in pain. Gaius and Olivia originally yelled out for Knoll because he fell, and it is only now that they see the arrow and the Assassin.

Olivia looked over and saw an arrow angled where Knoll's head used to be. Gaius looked in the opposite direction to where the arrow came from and saw Cross.

Cross, himself, was distracted when he saw his arrow miss by pure luck and was dumbstruck for one second. This gave Gaius and the rest of them time to act.

Gaius screamed. "It's the Assassin! Knoll, get out of there; It's the crossbow user from the castle attack!" He looks to Streaky and Olivia. "Olivia, find the others! Streaky, follow her!"

Gaius rushes and helps Knoll up. Cross regains his composure and fires another arrow at Gaius, who blocked his arrow with his sword.

Knoll got up; he had readied his steel sword with Gaius and they both charged at the Assassin.

Cross got his second crossbow and started fired again.

Knoll's eyes started to glow (They glowed brown because he still had brown eyes.)

Knoll activated the Aura, giving both him and Gaius a boost in all their abilities. With the boost, Knoll and Gaius dodged the second arrow and went to attack Cross. Cross didn't lose his focus and easily avoided the two boosted warriors. Cross was deceptively quick; he jumped reloaded both his bows and flip jumped over the two Shepherds. While mid air, he fired both his arrows at the two enemies.

Knoll dodged and Gaius swatted it away with his blade, but that delay was enough for Cross to get a running start right up the stairs.

"Is he after Olivia?" Knoll asks.

"Hurry up and follow him!" Gaius ran after Cross with Knoll shortly behind.

* * *

Olivia and Streaky were running to the right side of the mansion.

"Streaky is your nose better? Can you find them?" Olivia asked Streaky.

"*Whimper*" Streaky hung her head down while running.

"You can't? Oh, I'm sure we can find them then." She tried to encourage Streaky.

*Crash!*

Streaky and Olivia heard a loud crash ahead of them; both of them ran towards the sound. When they turned around the corner, they saw…

Two Fredericks?!

"Wha-what's going on here?!" Olivia screamed and she looked over behind the two Frederick fighting and saw Ricken, Lissa, and Donnel unconscious.

"Olivia!" Both Frederick turned to her even though they were both in struggle over a lance.

"This Assassin has copied my image and incapacitated our allies! Help me with this imposter!" Both Frederick said at the same time. "What? How dare you mock me! You shall feel my wrath as soon as my companions strike you down fiend!"

Both Fredericks grunted trying to overpower the other for control of the real Frederick's spear.

Poor Olivia was bewildered on what to do next because she knew some of the Shepherds only recently! How was she to tell the difference between two exact duplicates of someone she barely knew yet!?

"Uh… Sir Frederick? I- I don't know what to do?" Olivia looked unsure to both of them.

Both Fredericks were still locked in a deadlock, but Streaky went in front of Olivia.

"Grr!" Streaky gave a fierce snarl and growl. She positioned herself to pounce on one of them with her fangs sharpened at one of them.

The Frederick on the right seemed frightened and backed away. This signaled a major difference between the two.

"Aha!" The Frederick on the left said. "Beasts are not fooled by your disguise, Imposter! Let us make haste and-"

"GRAH!" Streaky then did something odd: she attacked the Frederick on the left!

Streaky tried to bite that Frederick, but this Frederick was able to pick her up and throw her back to Olivia. Olivia was slammed to the floor with Streaky when they made contact.

Frederick got up only to have a lance pointed right behind his head by the other Frederick.

Olivia and Streaky then got back up.

"Tch, I have to admit that mangy mutt is good. It must have one insane sense of smell to still recognize friend and foe under this strong stench." The Frederick with a lance point behind his head said this as he raised his hands in the air. This proved to those still conscious that he was the impostor.

When Olivia got back up, she was a bit confused with what impostor said. "That can't be right… a little while ago Streaky kept sneezing and rubbing her nose. There was no way she could smell something under this stench."

"Regardless, surrender and make this easier on yourself!" The real Frederick said.

"Not yet, I still have one trick left under my sleeve… literally." Deceit quickly slipped a small dagger out to his palm and quickly spun and threw it at Frederick. Frederick acted quickly and dodged the dagger. Deceit then ran and jumped over both Streaky and Olivia and made a mad dash away from them.

Frederick put down his lance and then went to check on Lissa. "Olivia, help me in waking up the others!"

"R-right!" Olivia went to Donnel and Ricken. "What happened to them?" she asked Frederick.

Lissa seemed to be waking up "Uhhn…"

Frederick explained what happened. "We were at first discussing where the Assassin here could be. Then Ricken wondered how all of you were doing. Suddenly, we heard Donnel scream; he was somehow left behind us! We hastened back and we found Donnel lying down on the floor. Ricken help him up, but then Donnel suddenly rammed Ricken through a wall! Immediately following that event, Ricken was pushed out and fell towards us. I caught him and ordered him and Lissa to stay back. When I got to the room, I saw not Donnel, but an unconscious Ricken slumped on the floor! I quickly looked behind me and saw myself knocking the Princess out cold! To see myself hurt the princess… I charged at the imposter, but he was able to grab my lance and push me to a draw. Then you two came along."

Frederick finished explaining, but he noted a few things. "I was surprised at the imposter. He flawlessly copied our speech and appearance almost perfectly. When he and I said your name at the same time, I realized he was watching us early on and waited for his chance to strike! I failed to notice such a powerful opponent, and I underestimated the abilities of an Assassin. I feel so ashamed."

"Wait, he was an Assassin?!" Olivia said as both Ricken and Donnel seemed to be waking up.

"Yes, he mentioned it to me after he had hurt the Princess. I hope that Gaius and Knoll will catch- Wait, why are you two here?" Frederick realized.

"Gaius and Knoll engaged the Assassin; they sent me to call you all over!"Olivia said and Streaky barked.

"There is more than one Assassin here?!" Frederick screamed. The younger Shepherds who were groggy, got back up and rubbed their heads.

"What happened?" Lissa asked.

"No time, Olivia, please bring us to where the others are." Frederick said.

Olivia got up "They should be-" Streaky ran ahead of them all. "Uh, follow Streaky!" Olivia finished.

* * *

The scene is set in another hallway where Knoll and Gaius were following right after Cross.

The chase was quick; Cross was an amazing fighter to pull off the trick he was doing. Every seventh step, he quickly spun around on one foot and fired both his arrows at both of them. This prevented from either of them from ever catching up to an already speedy man.

"I can see why this guy uses crossbows!" Knoll said. "Close combat is almost impossible with this guy!"

"We can't let him escape! Keep up!" Gaius said.

They all reached another stair way to the third floor of the mansion and Cross headed up, still continuing his trick. As they climbed up the stairs, something occurred to Gaius.

Gaius kept his focus on Cross, but started talking. "Loony, why is he climbing up the mansion?"

"What do you mean?! He is trying to escape us!" Knoll did the same thing.

"Remember where he was when he attacked us? The exit was right behind him! But he purposely went up the stairs!"

Knoll looked to Gaius, realizing Gaius had a point.

"So what is he doing then?"

"He is probably looking for something here, and it might be in the attic… we need to somehow beat him to wherever he is going!"

Knoll looked ahead; they were reaching some kind of circled hall way with a dead end.

The two of them finally cornered Cross.

"End of the line, bub. Surrender peacefully and your sentence will be reduced by… four seconds." Giuas retorted.

"Ha! You're right: it is the end of the line… for you." Cross said as he pointed his crossbow at the two.

[Recommended Music= Audiomachine- And The Heavens Shall Tremble (NEW: 2013 "Millennium" Kevin Rix)(HD 1080p)]

…

There was a stare down between the three until Cross broke it.

"…Any time now, Voodoo?" he looked up to the ceiling.

"Voo? Wha-" Gaius and Knoll looked directly above them and saw a blue demon goat mask staring right at them!

The mask tilted then suddenly it dropped. As it dropped, it was revealed that there was no ceiling! There was a skylight that was directly under the full moon's light. The entire black ceiling was all part of a very large black cloak! What landed on the floor was a man largely cloaked in black- **All** black! This… thing was like a black ghost wearing a mask…

Gaius and Knoll watched in horror as the masked being tiled his head slowly to face them, the moonlight slowly showing how terrifying this opponent would be.

"…" The Assassin known as Voodoo stared right through both Knoll and Gaius. The two Shepherds started to step back.

"There are two of them?!" Knoll screamed.

"Two?" Cross asked curiously. "…Ahh, I see now! To be honest gentlemen, Voodoo here is the man you're looking for. I figure that you people were looking for one of the Assassins, but you didn't know whom specifically. Unluckily for you, I and another fellow Assassin have come here to call back our co-worker Voodoo here." Cross motioned to Voodoo.

"…" Voodoo remained completely motionless.

"…Knoll! Retreat!" Gaius said and ran quickly back. Knoll then ran after him.

"Cute…" Cross said as he readied his bows.

Voodoo twitched. He parted his huge black cloak and revealed a very tall man completely wrapped in black. (Think like normal ninja uniform but tighter and covered all parts of the body.) In his right hand was a small one-handed hammer.

Voodoo had long legs so he and Cross were able to catch up with Knoll and Gaius, completely reversing the previous chase.

"Crud!" Knoll said as he looked behind him. Gaius looked back as well.

Cross fired arrow at the two of them, expecting an easy hit or having them avoid the arrows and slow down.

The next part surprised even the Assassins. Before the arrows got in range, Knoll twisted one foot and spun slash both arrows away. Knoll had copied Cross' technique a while back!

"Loony, how did you do that!?" Gaius screamed.

"While he kept firing his arrows at us while we were chasing him, I kept my eye on his foot whenever he did that!" Knoll said.

Cross was awestruck with what just happened. ("… Wait a sec… His name was Knoll was it?") Cross thought. He remembered something one of his co-workers said to him.

Voodoo suddenly jumped and slammed his hammer down. Knoll and Gaius dodged while Voodoo fell through the floor from the heavy impact.

Everyone still moved on despite that; Cross jumped over the hole and chased after the two.

"Well that's one down!" Knoll said.

Both of them still ran away from Cross. And when they got down the stairs back to the second floor…

"Frederick?!" Knoll said. They all stopped at the stairs.

"Gaius, right?"

"What? It's me Knoll- aww crap." Knoll saw a dagger in Frederick's hand and recognized that he wasn't the Knight they knew.

"Deceit, I found Voodoo. Help me get rid of these two and the others should be easy." Cross readied his bows and Deceit slipped out more knives.

Gaius and Knoll faced back to back.

"Things are looking sour, Loony…" Gaius said.

Knoll agreed, but something caught his eye that was just by the side of the stairway. Something big.

"Gaius, follow my lead!" Knoll went off and jumped off the stairway.

"Like I have another choice!" Gaius followed Knoll and saw he was jumping down a huge hole in the floor!

* * *

"They aren't here anymore…" Olivia said as she and the others came back to the main entrance and stairway.

"They must have pursued the Assassin when he tried to escape." Frederick said.

"But there are two Assassins here?!" Lissa shouted. She and the other two were told what happened to their situation when running back here.

"So where do ya reckon they went?" Donnel asked scratching his head.

Ricken looked over to the stairs. "We could try following the arrows over there." He pointed over to arrows that seemed to make a path down a hallway.

"Then we must-"

*CRASH!*

The ceiling collapsed and on the floor was Knoll right below Gaius.

"Hunh, that didn't hurt as much as I thought. Quick thinking there, Loony." Gaius gave a thumbs-up to Knoll. Who was right under him and cushioned the impact of the fall.

"Whyyyy?! …" Knoll moaned in pain.

"Gaius, Knoll! What happened?!" Lissa aked as the rest of them went down to the two getting up.

"There are Three Assassins here! Not one!" Knoll screamed while rubbing his back.

"Golly, a third one!?" Donnel said and the others were all surprised.

Frederick was worried. "There are more of them than we anticipated. How shall we-"

"Whatever you do, you won't."

Everyone looked above the staircase and saw Deceit and Cross standing on top of the stairs.

"Now that we are here, it's time to repay you all for killing our previous workers." Cross raised his Crossbow at them. "One more thing: you two guys I was chasing." He pointed quickly to Knoll and Gaius. "I'll be sure to drag both of your bodies to Arson. Who would recover much faster from his injuries you both gave him in Lem Ttrees."

"Wait, that dude's alive?!" Knoll asked.

Deceit chimed in. "He was put in their prison, but he escaped and came back to our HQ. He specifically expressed hatred to two Shepherds and to the one who took his lance away from him."

"Uh… I broke it?" Knoll scratched his head.

"Then he will break you then." Deceit smiled simply.

"Hey, it's eight against two! We can take them!" Ricken said as he readied his blade.

"Count again. Look behind you all." Cross said.

They all looked behind them and they saw right at the only exit, a scary black cloaked man with a blue monster-ram mask.

"Three against eight with no exits. Still think you can win kid?" Cross said.

Voodoo took out his hammer and started spinning it. Knoll then recognized that Voodoo was spinning his hammer like Thor from the Marvel Comics!

("Similar hammer, same destructive power translated to Fire Emblem. If it shoots thunder, we are sincerely screwed over.") Knoll thought.

Voodoo was spinning his hammer at a fast speed and he suddenly jumped!

Everyone readied themselves to fight-

But Voodoo didn't jump to attack the Shepherds, he Jumped over them and landed on the stairs a little below the other two.

Deceit was surprised, "Hey Voodoo, what gives!?"

The entrance then exploded and out of the dust came three figures.

"Chrom, Lucile, and Sully! You guys couldn't have come at a better time!" Lissa squealed.

"We would have come sooner, but we had papers to fill out." Lucile said.

"Milord, I apologize for such a troublesome situation. We were unable to capture the Assassin and now his allies are here as well." Frederick said.

"It's fine Frederick, we can still catch them here." Chrom unsheathed Falchion.

"I need something to let steam off to!" Sully said. "I felt like my head was about to burst with all those long ass words I had to read!"

Cross re-evaluated the situation. "Deceit, Voodoo we are retreating." Voodoo came along and stood beside his allies.

"What? But we can still take them!" Deceit whined.

"Hunh!? Two Fredericks?!"Chrom said. The new trio was surprised to see another Frederick with the Assassins.

"It is a long and shameful story, Milord…" Frederick sighed.

"If these three came, then there are bound to be more reinforcements soon. We can't have them fighting us like that. We will be put in a difficult situation. We are leaving and that's final." Cross said.

"Where do you think you dastards are going?!" Sully said. "I didn't come all the way here just to see you all escape!"

"…Now Voodoo." Cross said. Voodoo spun his hammer hard.

"After them!" Chrom yelled.

Voodoo hammered the ground beneath them. The whole floor shook and the ground beneath the Assassins failed. The shaking prevented the Shepherds from reaching them. The Assassins all fell down through the hole they made.

When the others got to the hole, they only saw the bottom of the tree with almost no sign of where they went.

"Blast! They got away…" Chrom slammed his fist at stair handles and it broke.

"We lost our only clue to finding the Exalt. Forgive me Milord. I have failed in my duties once more." Frederick said.

Something in the hole caught Knoll's attention. "Hey what's this?" He noticed some kind of large circular necklace/amulet hanging from one of the broken boards. Knoll then took it out.

"Knoll let me see it." Chrom asked. Knoll gave it to him and everyone saw what it was.

It was a flat, circular, and golden amulet with unknown symbols written all over it. But in the center was a huge eye.

"What is this?" Chrom asked.

* * *

"…"

"…"

"Deceit… Really? The one time you forget it and now…"

"I must have left it while I was taking out some of those people. I couldn't kill them right away because they kept finding me too quickly!" Deceit tried to reason.

"Those Lockets are the only Keys we have into entering back to HQ! How could you lose yours!?" Cross screamed.

"…" Voodoo stood in silence and stared to a yellow flower beneath him. He bent over and picked it up.

"Voodoo? Wait, how did you pick up that flower!?" Cross asked momentarily stopping from scolding Deceit.

"So he picked up a flower, big deal…" Deceit said.

Cross looked to his other ally. "Deceit, don't you remember at all?"

He only shrugged his shoulders.

"Deceit, Voodoo is blind."

* * *

**A blind Assassin?! What? What kind of skill does Voodoo posses to become one of the underworld's best Assassin while being blind!?**

**How unfortunate for the Shepherds to fail, but they did pick up something rather interesting…**

**Arson is shown to still be alive and Cross seems to remember something Arson said to him about Knoll… What could it have been?**

**Well I gotta go now guys. (I was a bit in a hurry to put this one out, so sorry again for grammar mistakes.)  
**

**Thanks again for staying with me this long, you guys are the best!**

**(I'll save a quote for next Chapter.)**

**Thank you and Please review.**

* * *

"So that's what happened to you Frederick?" Knoll asked as he rubbed Streaky's head.

"Yes. I still don't understand how Streaky was able to detect me." Frederick wondered.

"Aren't you afraid of Streaky though?" Knoll points out.

"Wha- how could- … I admit, she does bring back some unwanted memories…" Frederick said.

"I think even Streaky here knew that. So when you showed fear to her, she recognized you!**" **Knoll speculated.

"… I guess it has been rather cruel of me to treat St- A fellow Shepherd the way I did." Frederick came over and smiled to Streaky. "Care to give me another chance, Milady?" Frederick rubbed Streaky's head.

"BARK!"


	23. Phase 2 Update 3

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 3

COMPRESSING DATA…

REVERTING SUB ANALOGIES.

FILES CROSSING…

OVERVIEW ENABLED IN APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE…

* * *

"You'll never catch me alive, Shepherds!" A bandit screamed as he ran away from a bar.

He looked behind him and saw no one in sight. "Hahahaha!" the bandit laughed until something blocked the sunlight in front of him.

The bandit opened his eyes, only to get kicked in the face by something hard.

The bandit flew and slid on the ground. He stopped right before a pair of feet. When the bandit opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a man in a blue hood.

"Well what do ya know? You've been caught and you're still alive." Knoll joked. The bandit then fell back into unconsciousness.

Knoll slapped his hands together. "We are so done here. Good job, Lon'qu."

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED.

* * *

Lon'qu just nodded and closed his eyes.

"Don't worry! The Teach will get em!" Vaike came out of the bar.

"Teach…" I say. "Next time, please don't get distracted by women in a bar. Also when I say "Teach, grab him!" I don't mean grab me!" I yell.

"I can't help it if the ladies like the Teach…" Vaike flexed his biceps.

"More like Teach thinks the ladies like him…" I whisper, I totally saw him go up to those girls and start showing off, leaving me to search for this guy myself!

"Let's turn him to Frederick and head back." Lon'qu said. Vaike picks up the guy and we head to the Big House.

* * *

"We have another one, Frederick." I say as we turned in our bandit in. "Jinary Fon, famous weapon smith of the Viceroy gang."

"You won't be getting nothing out of me!" Jinary said.

Frederick said, "I wouldn't be too sure of that… Tharja?"

Tharja smiled evilly and walked away from us.

"What's she going to do?" Jinary asked nervously.

"Who knows?" we all said.

Vaike handed him over and we left the Jail house.

"YESSSS! FINALLY!" I scream out loud as soon as I exit the building.

"You're in a good mood." Vaike said.

"Because today is mah day off!" I can finally relax myself after this hectic week.

Two days have passed since that event in Katako village. Miriel was given the task of deciphering the new amulet. And Lucile and Chrom were put back to paper work duty. Poor guys…

Still, I can't really imagine what I'm going to be doing over the course of two years. Right now, I'm focused on the music for the wedding and trying to figure out the F.A. hideout. If those problems solve themselves over the course of three months, will I just end like the others before the war? Just patrolling around and preventing bandit attacks? Maybe I could find a lover… Nope! Never mind, I mean- what girl will like me? (…I would like Fortuna to like me- NO!) Stupid head!

"Hey Knoll."

I look over and see Vaike and Lon'qu staring at me.

"Uhh… I was just wondering how to spend my day off." I found myself clutching my head.

"Really? Then O'l Teach has just the plan!" He wrapped his arm around me. "Hey, Lon'qu! You also have a free day today, don't cha?"

"… Captain did tell us after detaining Jinary, we would be free for today. However, I was going to train." Lon'qu stated.

"Oh no, you're both coming with me!" Vaike said and then went off in a direction.

"Should we follow him?" I ask Lon'qu.

"… Maybe we should, in case he causes trouble. Who else will prevent him from causing disturbance of the peace?" Lon'qu unfolded his arms and started following Vaike.

I guess I'll see where he takes us.

* * *

…What is it with these people and marching!? I've been marching for a good three hours straight now! I know it's shorter than usual, but I didn't eat breakfast this morning! … I over slept on this mission and I thought I would be back soon… Why does this keep happening to me!?

"Teach! When will we get there!?" I yell. My stomach then growls like a fierce lion.

"Oh we're almost there… I think… Where was it again?" he says as he scratches his head. Did he forget where he was going?!

Oh you sunnuva-

"Teach… If by some chance we are lost. When I snap and lose my sanity, I am eating you first." I say darkly.

Lon'qu just sighs.

"Hey, don't worry! Teach is sure the town is here somewhere nearby!" He shook his hands to prevent anyone from harming him. "I remember now! It's through that forest!" Vaike points to a forest a little beyond the road and it looks quite thick.

"Wait, are you sure about that?" Lon'qu asks.

Vaike smiled. "Sure I'm sure. We just go across there and we arrive right over to my old home town."

"Oh your home town?" I noted. But then I snapped back to reality. "No Teach, I'm not following your directions! You even forgot how to get back home, what makes you think it's across that random forest!?"

"I recognize this place!" he says with a huge carefree smile.

"Lon'qu, what do you think?" I ask the only cool headed person here.

"…Let's give him one more chance… then we feed him to Streaky." He says darkly.

"What hey!" I say. "I don't want Streaky to be poisoned from eating Teach!"

"Hey! I'm right here!" Vaike protested.

"For now…" Lon'qu says. Looks like even Lon'qu is frustrated by this.

"I would never forget the way to my home town!(Me: You did!) I'll prove to you both that it's just beyond over there then you'll both be sorry!" Vaike started marching over to the forest.

We followed him, and despite it being a bright and sunny day, the thick and tall forest made things seem darker than it was supposed to be.

*Growl!*

"What was that?!" Vaike yelled and took out his axe.

"Teach, that was my stomach, I overslept and skipped breakfast remember?" I say and I rub my stomach.

"You need to wake up earlier! How else can you eat a balanced meal to grow big and strong like Teach?" Vaike flexed his muscles again.

"… I was thinking about the amulet last night, so I didn't get much sleep."

…

"Why are you worried about that?" Lon'qu asked.

We stopped for a moment and they both turned their gaze at me.

"I've been thinking… Two other F.A. came looking for the one we originally tried to capture."

"If Teach was there, Teach would have beaten all three of them!"

I sigh from Vaike's comment but I move on. "Some things in the fight felt off: like, how the first few minutes we were there, there was almost no sign of anyone. It was like some of them came in after us. The F.A. didn't come there to stop us originally; they must have went there to get their ally… So I've been thinking about it for a while. (With Chronos.) What if the F.A. are coming together for something? If some of their members are finding other allies, wouldn't they be all joining for something big?" I repeat again trying to convey my thoughts.

"Did you tell Lucile or anyone about this?" Lon'qu asked.

"I just thought about it last night and it was a theory." I rub my head.

"When we get back, you should tell them. A theory like that might help us pinpoint their base faster." Lon'qu said.

I sigh. "Yeah… Hey do you guys hear that?"

We stay silent again, and we hear people screaming and laughing. But we also hear a lot of clanging metal.

"Teach." I whispered as we all started to crawl and go to a bush. "Are we at your town yet?"

"… There ain't no way my town has anything to do with weapons!" he said.

We peeked over the bush and we saw… Bandits!

There was a group of bandits that seemed to be partying down there. All of them drinking and… eating… something cooked…

*GROWL!*

"Knoll!?"

I snapped out it and found myself drooling with both Vaike and Lon'qu screaming at me.

"I can't help it I'm hungry!" I protest in a whisper.

"Now what was that?" one of the bandits says. It all got quiet and we hear footsteps coming our way.

"Probably a boar or something." Another voice speaks out.

"Fried boar then? I haven't had that in months!" We then hear more voices in agreeing to have fried boar… That does sound good…

*GRRROOOWWLL!*

"Knoll!?" Vaike said.

"They keep talking about food, dude! I can't help it!" I say.

We hear a deep voice. "It's gotta be a big one! Benny, Jel go kill it and bring it here! Let's hurry up so we can head to that nearby town!"

"Is he talking about your town, Teach?" I ask. I look around and see him take out his axe. I then hear Lon'qu unsheathe his blade.

Looks like we are doing this. I also slowly take out my blade and activate the Aura.

"Come on ya fat pig, prepare to be tenderized!" one of the bandits said as he got closer to us.

"You first!" Vaike jumped out and slashed the two bandits down, but their weapons broke and they were both knocked out cold.

"Damn! We're under attack! Charge!" the other bandits yelled and started to swarm us…

=Later=

This Aura is amazingly overpowered. Sure Chronos told me it is a ten percent to fifteen percent boost in all abilities, but we crushed these no name bandits! So much in fact, we didn't even kill them. It kinda came clear to us these guys were also a newly made bandit group.

Another odd coincidence is that these guys had a lot of rope. Enough to tie them all together with it.

"Hmmm…" though they did know how to feed themselves quite well. "Whoever roasted this duck is a great cook!" I say while eating some of the bandit wannabe's food.

"You all better stop now. Or else Teach and friends would have to put you down for real." Vaike taunted.

The tough leader of the group just stared at Vaike with a glare- then he started crying!?

"WAAHHH! WAH WAH WAHHHH!" He freaking started crying!?

"WAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Why are they all crying now!?

"**SHUT UP!**" Vaike yelled at the top of his lungs hurting every ear in the nearby vicinity and scaring away all of the little woodland creatures.

"*Sniff* *sob* *sniff*." I actually felt bad for the bandits now. Wow, I feel like a jerk for eating their food now… maybe just a few more bites…

"If you all don't want this to happen to you, why did you even take up the sword?" Lon'qu questioned them. I finished my duck piece and stood by them.

"*Sniff* We didn't have a choice! Our old town was destroyed by Risen! Our neighbors only had enough room for our women and kids! We thought we could build up and eventually enlist in the Ylissean army!"

(Record Scratch.)

…Wait- what? "Whoa! Wait!? You bandits want to join the army!?" I scream out. Both Vaike and Lon'qu's eyes widen at this.

"Wha- What made you think we were bandits!?" The leader screamed.

Aww, shoot…

* * *

Wow that was awkward. It was a good thing we went easy on them- heck, even Lon'qu went easy on them and didn't kill anyone. (I imagine him to be the type to never underestimate anyone.) If we didn't beat them so easily, this might have been so much more awkward. So thank you Aura.

"We sincerely apologize for that, Keil." I say to the leader of the villager recruits.

"No… We should be thanking you. If we actually faced off against real bandits, we wouldn't have been as lucky." He said.

Vaike then starts talking. "Don't look so down! We all had to start small- well, except me- but the Teach can give you pointers!"

"Really?!" Keil said. "Hey everyone! The Shepherd Vaike is gonna give us pointers!" all of the bummed out villagers started looking wide eyed and started cheering.

I look surprised at Vaike. "Teach?! You're going to train these guys?!"

He responds to me with another carefree smile. "Why not? These guys will be beating bandits and Risen left and right with Teach's teachings!"

I sigh but then I remember something. "Keil, we overheard you all were going to a town soon. Do you know where it is?"

Keil replied, "We were actually going there to stock up on supplies and sell some of our wares for gold on new weapons. Most of the stuff we had were leftovers by some Risen clean ups."

Hunh, I was wondering why it was so easy to break their weapons.

He takes out a map and shows us where we are and the town they were heading to. The town seems to be a mile walk from here over a big hill.

"Oh Hey! That's Teach's home town!" Vaike said. "What a coincidence!"

You did not just- "Teach! We were heading there in the first place! How could you even forget that!?" I scream at him. I think I spot Lon'qu facepalming.

"Well since we're all going there, let's stop by there first!" Vaike ignores me and continues to walk.

I look to the map and scream, "Teach, the map says the town is in the opposite direction!"

* * *

…

My gosh…

We just climbed the hill, but… Vaike's town was attacked! From the top of the hill, it looked like a part of town was destroyed. Vaike went charging in ahead of all of us, so we all had to follow.

"What happened here?" Keil asked as all of us ran into town after Vaike.

We ran a while and we heard screams. We headed in further and saw a crowd of people all close around Vaike.

"Teach is back!" "Little Vaike's all grown up!" I heard other cheers about Vaike.

Vaike all looked back at us and waved.

"Alright folks, the two swordsmen over there are Lon'qu and Knoll. And the rest of them are recruits I've taken under Teach's wing!" Vaike introduces us.

"What happened here?" I ask. The smiles quickly die down as I ask this.

"A Risen came here and destroyed the town last night!" One of the kids said.

"Risen here? I don't even remember reports on Risen activity in this area." I say as I look to Lon'qu who only nods.

"No! It wasn't a group of risen, it was **one** Risen that did this!" An old man said.

"One?" Lon'qu asked surprised.

"It was terrible! It was bigger than any Risen that we had ever seen! It was like an entombed, but it was bigger, it had an almost inhuman and demonic sound to it, and its claws were sharp enough to break through a house in a single swipe!" One of the townsfolk said.

When they described it like that, I imagined those buffed up entombed at the Roster Rescue DLC. Those guys were intimidating, but surprisingly easy to kill. This time, it looks like one of them is actually living up to its appearance.

"Wait a sec!" Vaike placed his hand out like to stop someone. "Hey, Vaike Crew! (Me: Why did you name them that!?) I need your help cleaning up all this debris." Vaike pointed to the ruined houses.

=Later=

I can see why Vaike said his town didn't have much to do with weapons. Most of this town is with women, children, and old people. I barely see much _men_ here which seems to be balanced out now with these recruits Vaike dragged here.

Despite us helping clean up the damage, I spot Vaike talking to a bunch of kids, an old guy, and Keil.

"Teach, care to help us?" I say and walk over to them.

"Ahh, Knoll! Meet the rest of the Vaike Crew!" he showed me the kids- wait…

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hey you, show the Teach some respect!" The tallest kid said.

Vaike calmed the kid down and introduced them. "These guys were part of the Original Vaike Crew! Before Vaike met with Emmeryn and joined the Shepherds."

"… Really?" So the Vaike Crew was an actual thing before all of this?

Vaike pointed to the kid who continues to show some hostility to me. "This guy is Fover. The two beside him are Gren and Beilo. And the small one hiding behind the old man is Hego.

Weird name for kids. Then again, Marribelle did say my name was unusual, so must be a Ylissean thing.

Vaike then introduces the old man. "The old man is an old friend of Teach. His name is Victon."

"Heh, Victon here was the one who helped raised Vaike and all the tykes here." Wait, he is talking in third person… You're the reason Vaike talks like that!?

"Nice to meet all of you." I say but I notice Keil a little depressed. "Hey Keil, What's wrong?"

"These kids were under Vaike before us, but that mens…" He hangs his head down. "These kids are our seniors."

"Keil, I don't think-"

I get cutoff by Vaike. "You have a lot of catching up to do then, Keil! Ahaha!"

What? You mean His men actually have to listen to these kids?! "Teach, you need to re prioritize your rankings!"

Everyone but Keil simply laughs. Geez, poor Keil.

Then Lon'qu comes over with one of Keil's men. The recruit then starts reporting, "Sir Vaike, we have cleaned up most of the damages of the town. What is your next command?"

"You're all going to be trained now." It was Lon'qu who said this and not Vaike. Everyone looked to him while he continued on. "Vaike, you need to remember: we are on a day off. We can at most stay here for only one night. You're hometown looks like it's in bad shape and might become worse when we leave."

Vaike then started talking. "Hey! We can just ask-"

"We still have duties as Shepherds to protect other people as well. If we don't at least inform the others we are here, then they would be worried about us and our job is still important because of this post war era. We have other important duties as well." Lon'qu explains. "Fortunately, your… new "Vaike Crew" members can potentially help and protect this town which is why we need to train them now." Lon'qu explained.

He had a point… But something was bothering me. "Hey Lon'qu. Mind if only you and Teach train the recruits? I want to look more into this Super Risen that seems to be harassing this town. Something's been bothering me…" I look to the kids and Victon. "Just what are the damages this thing is has done so far?"

"Not many of us have seen it." Victon explained. "Victon and kids were on the other side of the town in its attacks."

Attacks? "This has been happening for a while?!" I ask.

"It only attacks at night…" We all look to see Hego a little shy in saying what he needs to say. "It's been attacking us these past few days. We were all going to call you, Teach, but you came here already…"

He hides behind Victon and I look to the other kids giving sour looks to Hego…

"I'll look around about this a little more." I say. "But I think you all better hurry up in that crash course training. If it's attacking tonight like the last few days, then we have one shot to kill it then before our window closes. I'll try to find more information on this monster."

Everyone agrees and we all go our separate way. I head toward the damaged area and keep walking until I get out of sight.

(Hey! Chronos? You there?)

+_…. Knoll? What do you need?_+

(Is there anything you can tell me about Super Risen?)

+ _Excuse me?_+

(Here let me try to explain…..)

+_OK, I get it. That doesn't seem to be a normal Risen by any means. First, there is something I would like you to check. Go meet with one of the townsfolk._+

Alright, I see a normal village girl NPC or at least I think she is a normal village girl. "Excuse me miss." I greet.

"Hail, Shepherd. How may I be of service?" Wow that was formal of her.

+_Ask her if anyone has died in the recent attacks._+

? "I'm just gathering information on the Risen attacks. Just how many people died total during the attacks?"

"Fortunately, none Sir."

None? No one died?

+_Hmm… OK, try asking her this next…_+

"When the Risen attacked for the first time, what was the first thing it aimed for, or what was the thing it destroyed first?"

She thinks about it for a little… "Now that you mention it… In the first sighting, the Risen didn't show any signs of aggressive behavior. From what I heard, despite a few broken fences, there was almost no major damage from its first sighting. Only in its second and third sighting, did it start causing havoc."

+_Curious…_+

I try to focus in on that topic. "More on its first sighting, was there anything peculiar about it?"

"…Well… One person who has seen it every night did say something seemed off about it between the first and second sighting…"

"What was it?"

"… I am sorry sir. I don't remember what it was or who said it."

+_I think this is good enough for now._+

"Thanks, this helped a lot." I wave goodbye and move back into town.

So from what we've gathered… This Risen wasn't originally aggressive? What a weird case…

+_If we could find the person who saw the Risen on all three sightings, we might have more clues as to what seems to be going on…_+

(Hey, Chronos? What if this has something to do with the Interferer?)

+_… It feels as if it is, but why did you think that?_+

(I remember on our way to the Long Fort for the first time. The Risen there acted really weird: they aimed for destroying the bridge. Later when it was destroyed, I saw the Interferer. I figured from then on The Interferer can also control Risen. Since Grima would command Risen to destroy anything that moves, this odd behavior would tie to the Interferer instead.)

+_I must admit: that was well thought of, Knoll. But why would The Interferer aim for a random town? The only thing that seems of some importance is it being one of the hometowns of a Shepherd. There might be more to this than we think…_+

(Yeesh, I said this once and I'll say it again: it's unbelievable how the more we answer, the more questions come up. I find it really annoying!)

+_We have no choice. If we don't do this, we won't get anywhere else. After this event, I could try a different approach into finding answers…_+

(So what now?)

+_Hmmm… Maybe I should actually try that approach now. Knoll, I'll be away for a while. Think you can handle this case without me?_+

(What are you going to do?)

+_Let's just say I'm tired of being hunted…_+

…

(I guess for now, The Shepherds and I can handle this. But I don't know… I guess we will be fine.)

+_Good luck then._+

(You too.)

+…+

I sigh. Maybe I can ask around if anyone knows more about the person who saw the Risen.

I look up to the sky and notice that it's almost sundown.

It's going to be one heck of night-

Wait a sec… Am I still technically working on my day off!?

SUNNUVA-

* * *

=?=

"… Uh… Uh…"

"Are you awake now?"

"Who… Who is there?"

"Ahh forgive me, Your Grace. Allow me to formally introduce myself…"

A light was opened. Under the light was Emmeryn strapped to some restraining chair.

"What is this?" Emmeryn tried to move, but she was unable to.

She heard footsteps and saw someone standing right before the light. Only his lower half was seen and the upper half was covered in the darkness.

The stranger bowed and went back up. "I am the Benefactor. I pleasure to meet you, Beloved Exalt."

A moment of silence between the two.

"…Why?" Emmeryn managed to say.

"Come again?"

"What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Your actions might cause this world to be alienated against each other! Can we not learn to co-exist peacefully?"

"...You are kind, Your Highness. But you misunderstand: I don't care much for either war or peace."

Emmeryn looked surprised. "What? How could you not care about people's lives?!"

"You misunderstand again: I said I don't care about war or peace, but I do care about people- No- I am obsessed over people!"

"… What are- What do you mean?" Emmeryn was starting to get worried.

"People like you… People like Gangrel… Don't you see in the beauty in that?!" He walked back into the darkness.

"…" Emmeryn remained silent and dumfounded at this man's ideals.

The Benefactor's voice echoed throughout the room.(?) "You- We are all _human_! You represent the good in people: how we can all be loving and forgiving! Gangrel represents the evil in people: slaughtering all in the name of vengeance! But you are both _Human_! The human capacity allows anyone to be either you or Gangrel. Two completely opposite factions, branching off one being… One of the Great Secrets of the world! I began this- this experiment! To harness this limitless potential, the potential even gods do not have…" The Benefactor then continued on, in a theatrical manner, obsessing over the human potential.

The speech continued to frighten Emmeryn. She had never seen or heard of man scarier than Gangrel's rage, but she was facing him right now. Not someone who wants pure revenge, but someone with ambition- ambition to drag the entire world into chaos…

* * *

**Wow…**

**Uh let's start with this first:The story.  
**

**Looks like the Interferer/Benefactor has shown a particular interest in humans. But what of Chronos' old theories of him using the spirits? Was it an distraction? What could be his great plan for all?**

**But on a slightly more important note:**

**Hey guys, my total view count for this story reached over 10,000!**

**(IT'S OVER NINE- *Gunshot*)**

**I know that isn't the amount of people who actually read this story, but to get that many views? Some videos don't get this many views…**

**I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me this long- I mean really- You guys are the reason this story keeps going on.**

**But I want another way of thanking you guys…**

**Wait a sec…**

**Alright! That sounds like a fun plan!**

**Here it is: in the last arc of the Skip Saga, I will invite one of your OC's to join me in a Crossover Chapter!**

**That's right readers! What better way to thank your support, than to have you join the experience you helped make!**

**Chronos: You do realize, you sound egotistic right?**

**Wait what?**

**Chronos: You make it sound like your flaunting your fame when you're a nobody.**

**Re-Really? I just thought it would be a good idea.**

**Knoll: Dude, we aren't that famous. It' kinda sounds like you're running out of ideas in attracting readers.**

**No! No, I'm not! I even have Saga 4 and 5 Planned out! And their all filled with gut wrenching twists and knots!**

**Wait a sec, why are you guys so against this idea?!**

**Chronos and Knoll: *Shrug Shoulders(?)***

… **Screw it.**

**The Last arc of this saga is actually pretty far, since I'm not half way done with this Saga yet.**

**But I'll trust my gut and continue with this idea.**

**I may put more information about this in my next author's note but here are the basics right now.**

** 1. I will include 3 different OC's for the last Saga Chapter.**

** 2. There will be a list of things I will specify, so you guys know which information to send me.**

** 3. When I get to this arc, (Lord, give me strength.) I'm going to make those guys be the center of the Arc. So they (and maybe their Antagonists) will get more screen time than Knoll! Or at least, the same amount of screen time.  
**

**Knoll: Wait- I get screen time? But we're a fanfiction-**

**[Mini note: Approximately four heroes might have less screen time than one would expect.]**

** 4. Don't feel bad about it even if you won't join in on this Crossover event. If I find this experiment fun enough, I may do it again!**

** 5. Most of this is purely gut feeling, I am aware that organizing all of this will take time. And since School is back… It will slow the story greatly. (But don't worry yet. The next few chapters should be fairly the same… until teachers start uping the work…)**

**And that's all of the Information right now. I'll try to organize it better next time.**

**Oh wait, don't send me information about your character yet, but I would like to hear your comments or feelings about this idea. It will really help me decide on it better.**

**I figure I could suffer a little so I could make this even more fun!**

**Wish me Luck guys! This Saga will be a dozzy!**

**Quote time.**

_You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.__  
__-__C. S. Lewis_

**Thank you for your time, and please review.**


	24. Phase 2 Update 4

**Hey dudes, I'm going to talk more about the conditions of the Crossover Event first.**

**Alright, thought about this a little, and this will be how we decide the first guest.**

**Let me try and put the required information you all need.**

**1. Name/ Gender/ Age/ Class/ Weapons.**

**This first one is pretty basic. These are the things you will need to list, so I know the basic frames of the character. You could try to also put more detailed descriptions as well: like, eye color, hair length and color, or even scars or something.**

**Another thing about this is that your OC can also be one from a different genre. What I mean from this is that you aren't restricted to having only Fire Emblem OC's. However, to make things easier on me, just please use your Fire Emblem OC.**

**2. Do you have your own story where this character stars in? Yes or No?**

**If this character comes from one of your stories, tell me about it. This way I can learn a little more about your character and you might gain a new follower or new review if I read it. Not to mention we could help each other gain more readers. This one is slightly optional.**

**3. Who is your antagonist? (you may or may not list them like your hero in #1)**

**You don't need to give me spoilers about them if you want to save your story plot. Just give me a vague idea on what they are trying to do or just their character. So I can write about them as close as I can to them.**

**4.(optional) Put in the name of your "Cosmic Guide." And what they are- ETC.**

**Basically someone like Chronos who tries to guide your protagonist. Just like the antagonist, you don't need to give spoilers about them, but their character is good enough for me to work with.**

**Alright those are the lists of things you simply need to PM me. **

**Now to get to the first spot…**

**I realized there might be a few people who may spam me in wanting their OC in this.**

**So no spamming!**** If you really don't think your first one went through, I will only allow the first three of the PM's you send. The rest of it, I won't even look at and probably delete it.**

"**How I'm going to choose:"**

**This one was the hard part for me, I thought about choosing the ones I like, but that sounds totally unfair. So… I thought about it and decided this…**

**Along with the information above, answer this question: **

"**What was the date and year of the first Superman Comic?"**

**Answer this question in your PM and you'll have a higher chance of being selected.**

**I realize that answering this question first is also a little unfair since there maybe someone who knows this fact by heart, but for others, this might require actual research. **

**If there are people willing to find this answer to join the fun, then I will know they are giving their all in this.**

**This will be my first experiment. For the next two slots, I might try something different depending on this result.**

**I'm now glad that my Last Arc of the current Saga is not here yet, allowing me more time to prepare for it all.**

**This will be all information as of now. Let's go back to the story.**

* * *

PHASE 2 UPDATE #4

ERROR DETECTED.

ANOMALY DETECTED.

DANGEROUS POWER SPIKE DETECTED.

ANALYZING…

TACTICAL ANALYSIS ACTIVATED…

ACTIVATING COUNTER MEASURES.

MODE: OVERVIEW.

* * *

=Flashback=

Alright… "Elements" Chapter 2: Monster.

_A child, sweet and pure, danced and frolicked in the field. _

_Something in the distance sparked the child's curiosity._

"_Mother? What is that there?" The child pointed over to a cluster of trees._

"_It's called a Forest. Our people were told not to go there."_

_The mother was then called away, leaving the child for one moment._

_The child was tempted by its curiosity and wandered into the forest._

_In the forest, the child saw sights he had never seen before._

_But… others had never seen the child before._

_Creatures from the dark forest came forth, surrounding the child._

_The child was not afraid and touched one of them._

_The child laughed. The creatures slowly walked up to the child, wanting to feel this touch._

_The child continued to giggle as more of them surrounded him._

_But the child was small and the creatures were many._

_They all surrounded him now, all wanting to be touched by the child. _

_The creatures pushed each other away, they started fighting._

_Their fighting started hurting the child._

_The child stopped laughing and started crying. He then ran away from the creatures._

_The creatures pursued, continued to fight, hurt, and feel over the child._

_The child ran out of the forest he cried for help, he cried for his mother._

_But the people became afraid because they had not known what came out of the forest._

_In an act of fear, an archer shot an arrow at the creature._

_And the child… was shot._

_Before the child faded away, he heard his mother, screaming and pointing to him._

"_Monster!" said she._

_And the creatures all from the forest surrounded the child and eventually covered his final sight._

_And the child… died._

…

This short story was way gloomier, but why did it remind me of the Adam and Eve story?

Bah, it's late, so I'm going to sleep now.

I'll just blow out my candle and call it a night…

=End of Flashback=

* * *

… Why… Why was I thinking of that?

"Uh…" I say as I rub my eyes.

"Are you awake now sir?" Keil asks.

"I was asleep?" Odd was that a dream I had then? But that all happened last night… since when do dreams relieve a moment in the past? "Hey, how did I fall asleep while leaning on a wall?" I ask then I find this area to be inside one of the village houses. I look outside for a moment and I see heavy down pour.

"Don't know, sir."Keil said.

"You can call me Knoll." I tell him.

"Well, Knoll, Lon'qu said to leave you like that for a while to conserve some of your strength. It's already night, but there still isn't any sign of the Risen. Not to mention it's raining hard out there…"

*Crack-BOOM!*

That sounds like heavy thunder as well. Yeesh, it is insanely loud. But I wonder how this Super Risen is? I couldn't find the person who saw the Risen in all three of its sightings. I looked around and surprisingly enough, most people barely saw it the first time! Just who was it that saw it?

"Hey! Knoll!" I look up and see Vaike on top of an indoor balcony.

This house is a lot bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Then again… Most buildings do- except the castle. It's a lot smaller in the inside for some reason… weird.

Vaike comes down and greets me again. I ask him "Where's Lon'qu?"

"He should be on patrol…"

"In this weather?"

*BANG!*

A soldier came in drenched in his rain coat. He was gasping for breath. "We have engaged the Risen!"

Oh crap!

Vaike shouted the orders. "Alright Folks, it's go time! GO GO GO!" We all took our weapons and ran out.

We followed the scout outside and ran at the heavy storm. When we got there, the thing had already taken out most of Lon'qu's group! He was the only still standing.

"Lon'qu!" I draw my blade and activate the aura.

[Recommended music= Greatest Battle Music Of all Times- Into the Fire]

"Stand Back!" Lon'qu screamed. He was holding out his sword but I didn't see anything.

"Where is it?!" Vaike yells.

"Its body is too dark and it's too hard to see it in the storm! Look for its glowing purple eyes!" Lon'qu shouted.

Purple eyes?

! Crap it- "Lon'qu, your right!"

Lon'qu jumped out and in a flash of lightning: a huge Risen punched the ground Lon'qu was originally standing. The ground cracked and shook a little from its attack.

The pale glow of its eyes showed a little bit of its self. It really did look like one of those special Risen from the Roster Rescue DLC. However, this one had glowing purple eyes. There weren't that many weapons lodged into it, and this thing seemed much stronger.

Lon'qu repositioned himself with us and the Risen slowly turned his gaze at us. It stared at us with both of its glow-

…No…

NO!

Motherf- NOOO!

"That thing has a third eye!?" Keil yells out.

I shake my head and re focus on this stupid situation! That eye reminds too much of Metus! But that means...

This thing is a spirit!

"AAAIIIIGGGGEEEE!" It screamed at us at ear shattering noise.

I had to cover my ears, but I think I dropped my sword!

The sound stopped. I gotta get my sword and-

Sunuva…

"Knoll!" Vaike yelled.

"Don't move! Don't make any sudden movements!" Lon'qu yelled and held Vaike back.

I really hate my life right now. This- this- Risen Spirit is like right up in my face- literally! It's a few inches from my face and this thing smells like crap!

*Sniff!*

This thing is smelling me?!

"UUAAGGH!" It raises its fist.

I hear Keil's voice. "Hiya!"

A lance comes from the others and gets stuck on the shoulder of the thing. I take the moment to duck away and pick up my sword.

"Thanks, Keil!" I scream.

The beast continues its gaze at me. The lance sticks out, but I really don't think this thing feels it.

It charges- Crap it's fast!

It hammers the ground with both of his hands and slowly starts to get back up.

"YAAH!"

Vaike came over and jumped on the monster. He had a clear shot and struck his axe on the back of the thing.

"RAA!" It threw Vaike off it's back. I went over to see if he was OK. "Teach, get up- where is your axe!?"

I looked back and saw the axe stuck to the back of the creature. Great it's now looking more like the DLC with all of those weapons sticking… wait a sec…

"Lon'qu! Back me up! Flank it from opposite sides!" I charge straight for its left side. While Lon'qu went for his right.

It swung his arms at us, but I ducked under and Lon'qu jumped over. We both got close enough and I stabbed it in the leg. I was able to spot Lon'qu stab its right thigh; the being raised up both of his arms and was going to hammer us both down. I couldn't pull out my blade, but I made eye contact with Lon'qu who had the same problem as me, and then we moved. We rolled away from the attack but I rolled behind it and Lon'qu rolled in front of it. While both its hands were down, I quickly grabbed onto Lon'qu's blade and slashed downward to his legs; at the same exact time, Lon'qu grabbed my blade and slashed upward from the low leg.

The weight of its body was too much for the Risen and it fell down face first.

"Teach!" I yell out, but he is already on his way here.

Lon'qu and I quickly grabbed the axe lodged into the beast's back. Vaike jumped up high and we tossed the axe to him. Vaike caught the axe and came speeding down on the beast. We both got out of the way.

*BAM!*

Vaike slammed the axe with full force unto the back of the Risen's head!

[End Music]

…

…

"Hey! I think we did it!" Keil yelled and raised his spear.

The others started cheering.

"Pheew!" Vaike wiped off some water in his eyes. "It just couldn't handle the Vaike Crew!"

Lon'qu addressed Keil. "Keil, help your injured men. Luckily, the creature didn't seem to deal any fatal blows to any of them."

"Yes, sir!" the others helped carry their unconscious allies out.

But I found myself still clenching Lon'qu's blade staring at the body.

Three eyes? I know I wasn't imagining it. Was this thing really a spirit? It did smell me- so did it know me? This thing also hits hard… why is no one dead?

Wait… it sniffed me… no one died… damaged houses- Was this thing looking for something?!

Before I could go any deeper, I saw one of its hand move! "Guys, its not- GAH!"

*CRASH!*

* * *

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Knoll!/Sir!" Everyone screamed. Knoll was knocked away then was left unconscious when he slammed into the wall of a house. With Knoll unconscious, the Aura deactivated and the Risen slowly got back up.

"Shit!" Vaike yelled as he readied his axe. Lon'qu prepared the blade as well.

"How can that thing still stand?!" Keil and some of his men came in and reinforced Lon'qu and Vaike.

"Not good! We just lost our power boost." A random soldier complained.

"Stand your ground! It should still be weak from the attack, have some of your men get Knoll out of here!" Lon'qu lead.

"Men! V formation! I'm point!" Keil screamed. He went in front of everyone and held out his lance. Some of the other soldiers formed behind him and made a V-shape formation.

Vaike tried to say something. "Keil-"

"If it really is weak, my men and I will distract and open a clean shot for both of you!" He yelled.

Lon'qu and Vaike looked to each other and nodded. They then went inside the formation.

The Risen stared at all of them.

"BBAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!" It yelled at them.

The some of the soldiers were shaking in fear. Keil was waiting for the right moment to charge.

"Now!" Keil charged at the Risen and everyone followed.

The Risen suddenly turned and then started to runaway!

"Is it fleeing!?" A soldier screamed.

"Oh No it doesn't!" Vaike ran madly at the Risen, breaking formation.

"No, wait!" Lon'qu had to chase after him.

The risen ran over one ruined house, as it ran, it scooped up a broken pillar. Then it twisted its body and flung the pillar at Vaike.

Lon'qu gritted his teeth and ran as fast as he could. He then tackled Vaike and avoided the pillar from crushing them both.

Keil and his men caught up and helped both Shepherds up; however, by the time they were there, the Risen was long gone.

* * *

=Meanwhile=

"Has anyone seen Vaike?" Chrom asked. He was in the indoor training room of the Shepherd's HQ.

"I was wondering why it was so damn quiet." Sully said. "The Storm was one thing, but I was wondering why it felt easier to concentrate."

Chrom looked around a little more. "I also noticed Lon'qu wasn't here. Isn't he always training as well?"

"Oh, He, Vaike, and Knoll all were sent on the same mission together this morning." Stahl came in eating a bagel. He swallowed one bite and continued. "After that mission, they were free for the day, weren't they?"

"Yes. This was also one of my few rest days from the castle. Thought I could go back and re train, maybe even spar with Vaike like usual. But, it's already late and there is no sign of either of them."

"I hear they were given an easy mission, so why aren't they back home yet?" Sully asked.

"I saw Streaky stay in the entrance lobby the whole day. She always waits in there for Knoll to come back when he doesn't bring her. If she hasn't left that place, Knoll and the others haven't come back yet either." Chrom said.

*THUNDER BOOM!*

The three of them all looked out.

"Hope their all OK…" Stahl said.

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED

* * *

"…U…Uhh…"

Gosh, it hurts…

…

Looks like I'm in some random house. My body aches, but I think I can still I can move it.

Hmm? Oh it's almost dawn? Despite being so close to a window on the second floor, I'm surprised I wasn't as wet as I thought I would be while I was sleeping.

I check myself really quick: I'm still wearing my armor. And apparently this evolved from Chronos' cloak he made a while back. It's really amazing how this kind of magic fabric works. Too bad it can increase health or defense points or something else helpful.

But back to last night…

I knew it though: that third eye and it getting up to what should have been a fatal blow? It is a Spirit. And Chronos is gone again! Not to mention, this time I didn't bring the Distortion rune with me… I overslept and just took the necklace when I was in a hurry.

Wonderful, the one time I forget it is the one time I need it.

But if it got back up after that, I don't think the others killed it after I went down. But it must have at least been weakened, so maybe they did…

I breathe in and stick my head out the window. The weather does seem nice and the sky looks really pretty-

Hello?

Isn't that one of the kid's from Vaike's crew? The smallest one, what was his name again? He- something… Hego?

Where is he going at this hour?

I get off the bed and I strap on my shoes which are nicely left at the bottom of the bed.

I spot him looking around for people and he goes out of town… in the direction the risen keeps coming from?

"Well that's suspicious…" I whisper. I get out of the window and quietly climb down. I quickly follow the kid.

I notice the kid go to forest. I immediately then remember the second chapter of the Elements Book. Is this some kind of dream where the kid is transforming into a monster?!

I calm down for a moment. I have got to be over thinking this… But I can't know for sure if I don't follow this kid.

*Snap!*

Crap a twig!

I need to hide!

"Who's there?!" the kid yells.

I peek over and he doesn't seem to spot me. But I notice him brining a picnic basket… Why is he brining that?

He looks around a little more and sees a raccoon run by. The boy then continues his walk with more speed.

Alright it seems like my previous idea of him being the monster was just my overactive imagination from too many movies… But just in case, I'll keep following him.

We leave the forest and I see him heading towards a huge cave. Why is he going in there? The kid disappears in the cave and I follow him slowly.

Before I go in the cave, I hear the kid's voice.

"It was Crazy! That thing was there again! But our hero Teach and his friends fought it hard!"

He seems so happy and exited. It's so different from when I met him. Now I feel stupid for thinking he was the Risen.

"I heard that they actually brought it down! …But… it was just playing possum and it knocked out one of Teach's friends out cold. It then ran away."

It escaped? So much for hoping for the best… Wait who is he talking to?

Some kind of moaning comes out of the cave. "Gr…Gre…Great…"

"They keep saying you're some kind of monster, Potato. But I know that it's not you."

Wait… what was that sentence just now?

"Pa..ta..toe.."

"It's PO-TA-TO or the other pronunciation… say my name now! Say "Hego"."

"Hie…Goo…"

"Oh so close! Hahaha!"

That's it, I'm going in. OK, what is he talking to-

"He…loo…"

"No, it's Hego! We did hello yester- …day." The kid truns and sees me and my opened jaw.

…

I start speaking in this awkward moment right after I remember to close my jaw.

"Is that the Risen we are after!?" I yell out.

"Muh?" I see the Big and intimidating looking Spirit Risen eating potatoes as he made that sound! ...What?

"No! Wait! This isn't the same guy!" The kid stands between me and the thing.

"OK what is that thing!? What's going on- Why is it still eating a potato? Ugh!" I slump down to a rock, tired of my brain overloading. "Tell me how this all started." I look sternly at Hego.

"All… Started…" The Risen copies me. I also Notice it also has three eyes… and that it's using a potato like a hammer on a rock in a derpy way…

"Now." Or before my own brain collapses, either or.

The kid sighs and starts. "It all started last week: It happened in the forest, and I usually venture a lot out in the forest because…" Hego looks down…

I know that look… I had it way too many times when I felt embarrassed…

I remember when I first saw him and the way the other kids acted. "Alright, I think I get it. You venture out in the forest because the other kids don't really like you that much."

Bingo. He looks surprised at me. "How did-"

"Kid, I went through the same exact feelings." You have no idea how afraid I was of other kids when I was in middle school.

Hego then talks about his encounter. "Well like I said, I was just playing there. It happened after we all played "Shepherds"."

* * *

=Flashback/ OVERVIEW DISABLED=

"Meanie Fover! … I don't want to be Gangrel…" Hego kicked a rock and it flew a little way from him.

"…uh." Hego hears a faint noise coming from within the forest.

(Hego: I was curious. I never heard an animal like that before.)

Hego walks into the forest and as he continues to walk, the sounds keep getting louder..

"Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh"

(Hego: It sounded a lot like moaning.)

When Hego got to a clearing he saw a huge beast! It was the Risen sitting down and sucking on pinecones.

(Knoll: It was sucking on pinecones?)

(Hego: Duh!)

The Risen turned his head and revealed it had three glowing greenish blue eyes. Hego was scared and started to walk back.

But as he walked back, something came out from the bushes behind him.

A big bear came out and it looked like it was hungry.

(Hego: there was always a lot of talk about a huge bear that lives near our town. Just as long as we don't go to the forest, we would be fine.)

"ROaR!" The bear trashed around.

Hego started panting and was scared. He ran away but he tripped and fell down. When the bear was on top of him, Hego crouched in terror.

(Hego: Then, out of nowhere…)

*BAM!*

The Risen punched the Bear in the face.

Hego slowly saw what was happening. The giant bear and the Risen were starting to wrestle. The bear kept slashing and biting, while this Risen kept punching it.

(Knoll: Wait- punch? Hey- this Risen doesn't have claws!)

(Hego: They have claws?)

(Knoll: Well… these type of Risen usually do.)

The battle was fierce, but the Risen was able to lift up the bear and throw it away! The Bear flew nearby to the cave area.

Then The Risen jumped after it in one big leap!

Hego watched in awe. He got back up and decided to follow the creature.

When Hego caught up, he saw the Risen. The Risen was badly injured and the bear was dead.

(Knoll: Wow that sounded like one heck of a fight.)

Hego slowly peeked from a tree and saw the Risen. The Risen almost seemed to be in pain and it started crawling into the cave.

Hego then stood at the cave entrance and saw the Risen there just lying there; it looked like it was in pain.

(Hego: I don't know why. I was told Risen were all scary monsters, but this one saved me… something about it felt… so different…)

(Knoll:…)

(Hego: Anyway, I had a potato from my dad's farm. I was just going to play with it for a while. I come from a poor family, so I had to find other ways to find fun.)

Hego looked took out the potato. The Risen eyed it curiously. Hego then tossed over the potato.

The risen looked at it a while and then put it in its mouth… but it started sucking on it.

(Hego: I don't know why, but I felt like I needed to correct it.)

"No, no. You're supposed to eat it! "Chew with your mouth" my mom says." Hego said as he made his mouth go through a chewing motion.

The potato rolls of his mouth and stays on its body. "Muuhh..Mu…Mom…"

"You- you can talk?" Hego asked and he went in closer. The Risen then picked the potato and started to chew the potato in his mouth.

…

The Risen finished eating the potato and looked to Hego.

"BURP!"

It smelled bad to Hego, but Hego started laughing at the funny expression and sound the Risen made.

(Hego: From then on, I kept going back here and kept bringing potatoes for the Risen. He liked them so much, I started calling him Potato. He was also talking! So I figureds I could teach him mahself!)

(Knoll:*chuckles* Well, he does seem fairly educated in the span of two weeks.)

(Potato: *chewing on a potato* Om…Nom…Nom…)

(Knoll: … Wait, what happened to the bear's body?)

(Hego: Potato ate it.)

(Knoll: Wow, poor bears. They are really low on the food chain here to be eaten by humans and Risen.)

(Hego: What?)

(Knoll: Sorry, was just thinking aloud. Continue.)

(Hego: It was pretty much the same thing then. I would keep feeding it, so it would get better and I tried to teach it words. And talk about my day to it… I think he became something like my first friend… It was only recently when his wounds healed. Like three days ago.)

Hego was seen eating food with his family one night. Hego looked out and saw something out his window.

He saw Potato picking up a piece of a fence and eating it. Hego then said he had to use the restroom to his family and went out around the back door.

Hego, holding a lit candle, got to Potato.

"Hi…guh…" The Risen slowly waved hello.

"It's Hego! Potato, you need to stay in the cave!" Hego tried to pull on Potato's arm but he wouldn't budge.

"Hey who's- AAAAHHHHH! RISEN!" The owner of the eaten fence came out to see what was going on.

Hego quickly blew out his candle and said. "Come on!" This time, Potato went in the direction where Hego lead him.

When they were back in the cave…

"No Potato! Don't come to town!" He told Potato.

"Friend…"

"I am your friend, but I need you to be here, OK?"

"O…K…"

"I gotta go now. You. Stay. I. Go… I'll be back soon." Hego leaves the cave.

(Hego: I was really lucky. My parents thought it was the dinner's fault that I wasn't there during all the commotion.)

(Knoll: The first sighting… Wait then, Potato here was the first sighting!?)

(Potato: *Drooling*)

(Hego: Yes.)

(Knoll: So you know the difference between both the first sighting and the second sighting!)

(Hego: Well, yeah…)

It was the night right after. This time, Hego was asleep.

"It's the Risen again!" A scream was heard throughout the town.

Hego woke up. "Oh, no!" he got his boots ready and left the house.

(Knoll: Hold it: your parent's didn't stop you?)

(Hego: Even though my dad is a farmer, he is the deepest sleeper and loudest snorer in the whole village. My mom always wears ear plugs when she sleeps.)

(Knoll: … Wow. I hope I won't be like that if I ever had a family.)

(Hego: Let me continue…)

Hego is seen sneaking around while some villagers run away. He hears grunting and objects being destroyed.

"Potato! I told you-" Hego then saw that this Risen had a darker shade to him and ominous and glowing purple eyes.

(Hego: I knew that wasn't him, so I quickly ran away. That morning, I went to check on Potato. He said that he was there the whole time!)

(Knoll: He said that perfectly?)

(Hego: He just said, "Me. Stay.")

(Knoll: So you're the one who said the first and second encounters were different!"

(Hego: I did say it was different, but no one really believed me.)

=End Flashback/ OVERVIEW ENABLED=

* * *

"In the third encounter, I made sure it wasn't Potato, by hiding and taking a better look at it."

Wait, he did that again? "Wait… Your parents need to take better care of you." I say.

"Mom was sick and Dad thought I was in my room."

"You know, I wish I had your luck in escaping my house." I say to Hego.

Hego gave another potato to Potato…

OK… So there are **two** Spirit Risen? One nice and one not nice?

Two…

Two…

Wait a sec, I remember! Wasn't it looking for something? The way it didn't hurt any of us, was that because it thought one of us knew where the _thing it was looking for_ was? It was sniffing me… Did the second one come to town because it smelled the scent of the first risen? Wait a sec…

I look to Potato in horror.

My mind then realized one thing: was he looking for Potato?

Why?! Why would a spirit hunt another spirit?!

It finds things by scent-

Oh crap.

[ Recommended Music= World's Greatest Battle Music Ever: Darkness on the Edge of Power]

"Hego, Potato. We have to leave now. If I'm right, which I pray that I'm not, we need to all leave now!" I stand up.

"Why?" Hego asks.

I try to tell him "When I fought against the other Risen last night, it sniffed me. It knows my scent! And if it does, then it might have followed-"

"BBBBBBAAAAAAA!" a powerful scream is heard.

Crap.

"Potato, get up now!" Hego motions Potato to stand up and I get out of the cave.

I see in the distance: birds flying away and tress all collapsing and making a path to our direction.

"Hego! I don't care where, get Potato out of here!"

"What about you?"

"I'll hold it off as long as I can! Get Lon'qu and the others!" I try to draw my blade- only to find out I never took a weapon when I woke up this morning! Great! It's the first few adventures all over again!

The two go away and the movement in the forest stops.

…This is so not good.

"rrrrrrRRRRRAAAAAHHH!" The Risen jumped out of the forest. I jump out of the way.

BOOM!

He shook the ground with that impact. I stand back up and activate the Aura.

"Ggrrr…" It turns a sharp gaze to my direction.

This is going to suck.

It charged at me, trying to swipe me with its sharp claws. I ducked and tried to punch it in the legs- OWW! Why- why did that hurt!? I thought I had some partial super strength! Why did that hurt me more than it?!

Crap! It's charging at me again-

"MOOOOMMM!"

Mom?-

Potato Comes out of nowhere and tackles the evil purple eyed freak.

"Knoll!"

I looked behind me. "Hego! I told you to get back to the Village!"

"I tried, but Potato went back!"

*BANG!*

We both look to see Potato jumping away and the other closely following.

"They are heading towards the Village!" Hego screams.

"Of all the-" I quickly pick up Hego and run like crazy after them.

=At the Village=

"Where could he have gone?" Lon'qu said. Vaike was standing beside him and looking for someone.

Keil came over and reported To Lon'qu. "Sirs! We still don't know where Knoll is. We have also received word from one of families that their son is missing!"

"I know!" Vaike said. "Victon told me… It was Hego."

"Do you think that Knoll and Hego's disappearance is tied?" Keil asked.

"It might-"

BOOM!

BOOM!

Two things landed on the center of town.

"What was that!?" Vaike screamed.

One of the recruits came up. "Sirs! The Risen is back! And he brought a friend!"

They all looked at each other and ran to the impact sight.

There they all beheld a strange event: the two Risen were fighting each other!

"What's going on Here!?" Keil yelled.

The Purple eyed risen slashed the Greenish blue eyed one. The latter then retaliated with a punch.

Surprisingly Vaike acted quickly. "Everyone circle around them! Avoid their blows, but surround them. Others! Evacuate and ensure the safety of the civilians!"

Everyone moved to positions as the fierce battle between the two risen continued.

"On my command, when the Green Eyes counters, we attack both of them!" Vaike yelled.

Boom!

"NOW!"

They all charged in and stabbed all of their weapons on both of the Risen.

"Back off!" Vaike yelled.

"GRAGHHHH!" Both Risen yelled. The Purple one then slashed the Green one.

"Hey! They seemed to be focused on each other!" Keil yelled.

"Good. They'll weaken each other for us to kill them both!" Lon'qu said as he readied his blade.

"**STOP!**"

"Is that Knoll?!" Keil said.

Knoll came out running at a fast speed while carrying a small boy.

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED

* * *

"Guys! You need to trust me! Don't kill the greenish blue one! Aim for the purple one only!"

I random soldier near me says, "What?!Why-"

"You, give me that lance!" he releases it but looks confused. I take the lance and run up to both of them.

"Hey, that's dangerous!" Vaike yells at me.

"Potato! Hold him down!"

He hears me and is able to grab hold the other one. I jump and land on Potato's shoulder. It's trying to break loose- I have one shot at this!

"Take this you three eyed freak!" I throw the lance as hard as I could into the monster's third eye… and it hits!

"AAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEGGGHHHH!" It wails in pain, before it stops moving. Its body fades away and a large purple sphere floats into the sky.

So the third eye is also a weak spot? Good to know.

[End Music]

I breathe a sigh of rel- "Who- Whoa!" I jump off and I see Potato injured greatly in that skirmish.

"Get back! There is still one left!" Some of the soldiers come and surround me.

"Wai-"

"STOP!"

Hego!

"Hego, what are you doing?!" Vaike yelled.

"Teach! Potato here isn't a bad guy!" Hego started to sniff and he was getting teary eyed.

"Guys, Stand down!" I yell. "It's a long story but this one doesn't mean any harm!'

"A risen? No harm!? These things are killing machines!" Keil yells.

"Look. I know Risen destroyed your home. But this one is different."

Keil looked angry. "How is this monstrosity different!?"

"He's my friend!"

We all look back and see Hego in tears. "He is the only one who ever listened to me…*Sniff*"

I take this chance to try and explain to all of them. "Guys, you see-"

"**GGGGGRRRRRREEEEEEEEAAAAAAA!**"

My ears!?

"What the hell was that!?" Lon'qu said after it died down.

We all looked up and saw an enormous flock of birds flying right above us. They continue flying quickly away from us.

In the distant more of the wailing sounds seem to come closer.

"Sirs!" A soldier comes in running and panting like crazy. "There *huff* There is a dozen of them! *Pant*"

"Dozen of what!?" Vaike yelled.

"Risen! All big and huge like-" He looks at Potato. "AHH! They're already here!"

I get up to him and shake him a little. "Continue the report! Are all those Risen coming here!?"

He looks startled, but he speaks, "Y-Yes… our scouts shows that they are all heading here at an alarmingly fast rate!"

I can't believe there were more of them. We barely beat one, how can we beat a dozen of those things!?

I look over and I see everyone panicking.

"We need to evacuate everyone, now!" Vaike yelled.

"Sir, they are coming to fast! I don't think we will save everyone!"

At this next sound, everyone gets silenced.

[Recommended Music= Epic Score - I Still Have a Soul]

"…Hego…"

Potato?

"Did that Risen just talk!?" I hear a soldier say.

Hego walks to Potato and Potato slowly gets up.

"What are you doing?" Hego asks.

"…Thank…Thank…you…"

"*Sob* Why are you saying that?! What are you going to do!?" Hego runs up to him and hugs the leg.

"Hey, Kid! Don't-"

"Be quiet!" I yell at the soldier.

Potato lifts up Hego's face with two fingers. "You. Stay. I. Go… I'll be… back soon…" It then starts moving. I go in and help Hego let go.

Potato leaped again in an amazing distance. He leaped toward the direction of the cave he was in. At the second leap, Potato Roared.

"MMOOOOOOOMMMMM!"

I hear voices. "Did that thing say "mom"?"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

We all prepare our weapons and see a dozen of those purple eyed Risen rush into the Village. But none of them notice us and all run/ leap past us.

"That- It's leading them away?" Keil said in disbelief.

I can't just let this happen! "Teach! Take care of Hego!" I activate my aura and try my best to catch up with Potato.

* * *

OVERVIEW DISABLED

* * *

Potato lands right near the entrance of the cave and Roars again loud. It holds its arm that has been cut up a lot and slowly walks deep into the cave.

Boom! Boom! Boom! "AAAIIIIIGGGGEEE!"

All of the Purple Eyes then swarmed in after Potato into the cave.

Deep in the cave was a dead end. And Potato lets go of his arm and faces behind him.

The other Risen are coming in fast all of them stronger than the weakened Potato.

Potato raised both arms in the air and held them together.

"Hego… Friend… Me… help…Friend…"

With the last of his might, Potato slammed his fists hard to the ground.

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED

* * *

When I was getting close to the cave, some kind of powerful shockwave is felt and the ground shakes tremendously. I trip over and hold my ground. I look and see the cave- The shaking was causing it to cave in! I tried to get up-

***CRASH! BOOM!***

The shaking stopped… I got over to the cave entrance. When I went in I saw the deeper part of the cave collapsed on its self.

… The only thing I could do now was deactivate the Aura and head back…

[End Music.]

* * *

"Wow." I say. "This looks really good." I can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. Was this from a movie?

"Teach, gives it a ten fingers up!" Vaike said.

"I think you mean two thumbs up. It's too bad Lon'qu couldn't make it today." I say.

It's been three weeks since we came back to this town. When we the three of us all got back, everyone was there surprised and asking what happened to us. That was quite the explanation we had to give.

Unfortunately, even though they were happy, they suspended our next day off with chore duties. But here we are back in our new day off again and this time, Lon'qu stayed behind and trained.

"Hey Guys! It's Teach and Knoll!"

We both look over and see the kids and Victon.

"Sir Knoll?" I see Fevor look at me while holding a ball. "Thanks for donating money for our toys!"

"Yeah!" the kids screamed.

Alright, I spent my accumulated three weeks of my pay into donating to "Toys for Kids" charity. A charity designed to give a toy to all the all children in the continent. I was able to donate some of my money and in return I was able to get enough toys for the kids in this village.

"Hey, Hego. Looking good!" I say. Hego looks so much happier. He and the other kids became good friends now. And since they all have actual toys, there is no need for someone to pretended to be the bad guy.

"Knoll, could you take this?" Hego gives me a picnic basket.

"What's this?" I check inside it and I find potatoes.

"That's the basket I used when you found me and Potato. I want you to have it." Hego smiles.

I return the smile. "Thanks, I'll cherish it."

"I see you're both staring at Victon's finest work!" Victon rubbed his beard.

I looked between the two. "You made this Victon? Wow, it's so well done!"

Vaike explains. "Old Man Victon was one of Ylisse's best stone cutter! He would always have The Teach carry huge boulders for him, which is why the Teach has these babies!" Vaike flexed and kissed his muscles.

"Hahaha!" we all laughed.

"Well, we gotta go! We were playing kick Ball!" Hego says. He and the other kids run off and play with a ball.

"Now come back here you little tykes!" Victon joked and walked after them.

"Well, this was fun. Come on Knoll, let's go back." Vaike tells me.

I scoff in a joking manner. "Do you even remember where to go to get back home this time?"

"What!? Of course Teach does! And if not, we could always stumble into another crazy adventure!" He smiles at me.

We both start walking away now, but before I do, I take one last look at the life like statue Victon made.

It was a huge pure stone statue of a big, three-eyed Risen. It was shaped in a way that the Risen was eating a potato. Just below and beside the Risen was Hego, smiling wide and being happy.

They were both on top of a little plaque that said,

"In Honor of Potato: The Gentle Monster."

* * *

**That ends this arc!**

**This story was based off the "Iron Giant" movie**.** One of my favorite kid movies.**

**Hego= Hugo**

**How did you guys like my take on the Shepherd's Origin? Here I had Vaike be such a strong guy growing up, because he was raised by a stone cutter when he was young and he had to lift a lot of boulders. I might do more of these in this saga...**

**This story was pretty fun to make. I hope you all enjoyed reading it!**

_Imagination is more important than knowledge.__  
-__Albert Einstein_

**Thank you for your time and please review!**

* * *

=The scene goes back to the collapsed in cave.=

A few rocks fall out and a hole is seen. Within the dark hole a soft glow of greenish blue appears...


	25. Phase 2 Update 5

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 5

ERROR.

MAINTENANCE ERROR.

REBOOTING…

UNABLE TO ACCESS SYSTEM RESTORATION.

ACTIVATING TEMPORARY HARD-DRIVE DATA…

OVERVIEW DISAB-

ENABLED.

* * *

…

This breeze…

It's soft… Just like that time…

_Hey! Wake up! Wake up Sleepy Head! Wake-_

"-UP!"

… ? Damn... Oh right.

I open my eyes and hear a voice. "Not like you to sleep in."

"Right, I had a lot on my mind last night all because someone messed up." I glare at my associate. I get up and look for my helm. "But you did wake me up before I had a nightmare, so thanks." He gives me my helm. I inspect it to make sure he didn't damage it and I put it on.

I look around for a bit. "Deceit, Where is Voodoo?"

Deceit motions over to Voodoo sitting down and staring at the sky. We both start walking to him.

"But, really Cross?" Deceit asks me. "What are the chances that blue mask of his can give sight to the blind!?"

"Because I remember now: Voodoo found a mask in the attack on Fort Kartol. It was after we killed the leader when Voodoo found something in his vault."

"Leader of Fort Kartol… Wasn't he that creepy collector of supposed exotic magic?" Deceit remembered.

"Yes. I remember Voodoo carrying and odd wrapped object with him; it was the same size as the mask he wears." We both walk over to Voodoo.

"I don't believe you." Deceit takes out four fingers in front of Voodoo's face. "Voodoo, dear chap, How many fingers am I holding out? Just answer me by showing you're hand with this many."

Voodoo faces Deceit takes out his hand and puts out four fingers.

"Well I'll be! The wonders of magic then?" Deceit said in awe.

"Don't think so…" I say. "Voodoo, you can't remove that mask anymore, can't you?"

He nods.

"I didn't see you remove it before you fell asleep. I know that masks don't really hinder your performance, but no matter how much you moved in the fight with the Shepherds that mask of yours didn't even seem to come loose." I explain.

Voodoo nods again.

"So he can't remove it? Guess having your new sight does have draw backs." Deceit holds his chin.

"Not quite, Deceit. There is another drawback to it: It's a mask not eye balls. For Voodoo to see something, he has to move the mask in one direction. Overall, Voodoo losses subtle and stealth like features for the price of artificial sight, which makes things harder for him to walk in the middle of the day without being spotted."

"Always the expert in these things, aren't you Cross?" Deceit tells me.

"Marvo expects this much from all of us at least." I tell him.

Voodoo stands up. He takes his hand out and reaches for the sky… he holds it up for a while and I understand.

"Ah, right. Sorry Voodoo. Guess you, of all people, are entitled to see the world since you were born blind." I apologize.

Voodoo only nods but he doesn't face me.

We all start walking in the main road and wear thick cloaks to hide ourselves.

"How long till we get to Cobalt Port?" I ask.

"A few days travel at most."

"And the closest town?"

"A trade city called Huless. So Huless City."

"We have a liaison there to some of the black marketers there right?" I ask.

"Count Losdar. Yep. I like his mustache."

"He might have some updates for us from The Benefactor, if not, I'll simply report our progress and say we are en route to Armed."

* * *

Over VieW Dis-ZZT-Abbble.

* * *

The trio walked into town. It was a very busy town with people walking everywhere and people bumping into each other.

"Look at all the faces!" Deceit laughed as he looked around. "I wonder which one I should try next. Hmm? Cross… You might want to take a look at that bill board over there."

Cross and Voodoo both looked over and saw a bill board in front of a bar. There were a lot of people crowding around it and whispering about some of the bounties. It was a bounty list and there were two bounties that stuck out the most.

_Wanted: Marvo Cold, One of the Forty Assassins_

_$10,000,000 Dead or Alive._

_Wanted: Cross, One of the Forty Assassins_

_$ 2,000,000 Dead or Alive._

"You and Marvo have been busy…" Deceit chimed.

Cross didn't seem to care. "It doesn't matter. We never cared much about the upper world. It was the Benefactor who funded us to make our recent moves. Besides, it only shows only Marvo's and My helm; our real faces should be fine." He then continued to walk away while the others followed him.

"But you're still wearing it now." Deceit said.

"Unlike Marvo, I abandoned my first identity."

Some gasps were suddenly heard in the crowd. All three of the Assassins turned their heads back to the billboard.

A mercenary with dark red hair came up to the bill board and ripped of Cross' wanted poster off. People around were saying he was actually considering hunting someone with a two million bounty.

"There's no way he could have seen you here." Deceit said. He slowly slipped a knife, but Cross motioned him to put it away.

"Don't bring attention." Cross said. "It doesn't seem like he noticed us. It must be someone overconfident in their skills." He analyzed.

Deceit puts away the knife. "Well he is in for a sad time…"

"Hey! That was our prey!" A loud shout is heard. The crowd parts and a group of tough looking warriors and berserkers appear.

The mercenary stays silent.

"We carefully planned how we were going to aim for the second highest bounty! If you think you could handle him all on your own with your ego, go for the biggest one too, you jerk!" One of them says.

The mercenary just looks at them. "You misunderstand. I too have a plan: I take on the easier one before I take on the bigger one. But I can see, right now, that none of you will be able to catch him." He said in a serious manner.

Deceit whistled. "Cocky punk aint he?"

"Wait…" Cross said as he took one step forward and looked into the eyes of the mercenary. "Those eyes…" The mercenary's eyes were a deep red color as well.

"Why You- Let's kick this punks ego down a peg!" One of the warriors screamed. The group all charged at the mercenary and the crowd immediately ran away.

The first two attacked with their axes; the mercenary dodged both of them and punched one of them hard in the waist. The one that was attacked, fell over and clutched his waist in pain.

"That was a pressure point he hit…" Cross noted.

"Guess he isn't as bad as I thought." Deceit acknowledged.

The fight continued and the red mercenary continued to easily dispatch the enemies with skill and blows to pressure points. But after taking one more down, one of them was able to kick him in the stomach and sent him flying to the ground.

This lucky berserker raised his axe and said, "Ha! Not so tough after all! Hyya-"

The berserker tried to swing his axe, but something prevented him from moving it. He looked behind him and saw a tall dark cloaked man wearing a scary mask. The scary man was holding the axe back.

"Now what's going on here?" a soldier came in. This soldier looked rather buff and his uniform suggested he was one of the police forces here. "No fighting in the city! We have an important trade business here and we don't take kindly to violence here!" He banged his lance on the ground.

The warriors all get up and they run away. "Well get you for this you red haired freak!"

Someone extends a hand to the mercenary. "Here, get up."

The red mercenary looks up and sees a messy purple haired young adult with green eyes. But there was a scar across his forehead.

"…" The mercenary takes the hand of the stranger. "Thanks."

"That was quite the fight you had there, sir." The soldier says. "You beat most of those men."

"I held back. Still, I might need to re work on some of my forms. From the description, the one I'm planning to hunt makes close combat virtually impossible." The red merc says. He turns to the man in the mask. "You have my thanks as well."

Voodoo nodded.

"Well I'll be going now. Just keep out of trouble here, ya hear lad?" the soldier says.

"Right, sorry sir." The merc bows and leaves the scene.

The purple haired man puts on his helm and then he hides it with his hood.

"So why did we help him, Cross?" Deceit asked as he took off the soldier helm.

"… Because we don't want someone dying here and causing the security to increase in the city." Cross explains as he fixes his hood and helm.

"Well then. Before we meet with Losdar, we should get a bite to eat. Been a while since I had some good food." Deceit said.

All three of them walked to a nearby restaurant.

* * *

_There, there… It's alright… Just cry your little heart out… Mummy is always going to be here for you…_

"Sir?"

?

"Sir, what is your order?" A waiter asked.

"Water and a salad please…" Cross said.

The waiter writes down the order. "So one order of Pig Ribs, one order of Roasted Salmon, one order of salad, two drinks of water, and one order for wine… correct?"

"Yes, thank you." Cross says.

The waiter bows, "Your drinks will come soon. Enjoy your stay, sirs." He then leaves to get the food.

"So… Voodoo?" Deceit says. "How are you planning to eat your food? I thought that mask was stuck?"

Voodoo grabs the chin part of his mask and it opens up at the mouth part, showing his mouth.

"That's quite handy." Deceit commented.

"So let's review shall we? When we get to Cobalt Port, we need to take a boat to Jewel Island. Armed should be living there as of now." Cross said. "But because of Adrenaline's escape route, Cobalt Port has more security checking for Assassins."

"Can't we take another port to go to Jewel Isle?" Deceit asked.

"We could, but Cobalt Port is the closest to the isle. All other boats trying to get there all have to make a stop there to prepare incase for weather changes and occasional whirlpools in between." Cross answers. "So there isn't much of a choice."

"Can't we ask some of our fliers to go get him for us?" Deceit complained. The waiter came out and gave them all their drinks. He then went back into the kitchen and they all continued their conversation.

"Most fliers were sent to Valm to collect the others there. Adrenaline was the only flier left here in the Haildom of Ylisse. *Drinks glass of water.* And we all know that she was left to do the other fliers duties until they came back." Cross told.

"… That sounds annoying. But hey- nothing's ever easy." Deceit sipped his wine. "Hmm… Good stuff for a great price, we should come back here for a drink next time we're here."

"Your meals, sirs." The waiter came in and placed all orders to the men: salad for Cross, ribs for Deceit, and Salmon for Voodoo.

"This looks good, thank you!" Deceit went right in into eating it. After swallowing his second bite he asked something. "Cross, why do you eat salad?"

"Huh? I just like it. We need to eat healthy to keep our strength, don't we?" He asked.

"Well yeah, but we also need a balance of other foods as well. Because this is the only time I allow myself this kind of meat! … and if you think that's healthy, you should have gone for Voodoo's dish. Looks good and it says it's good for you heart." Deceit says while Voodoo nods in agreement.

"Maybe I should balance my meals better…" Cross wondered.

Despite being professional assassins, the three of them seem to all get along like old friends.

A beggar looking kid came to them and asked. "Sir, would you spare some alms?"

"…Sorry kid still eating, ask me again when we are done." Deceit said.

"Wait." Cross took out ten gold coins and gave it to the kid, "Here."

"Oh thank you, sir!" The kid then ran out.

"… Did you notice that kid?" Cross asked Deceit.

"Yep, he motioned closer to me and his fingers twitched. He was a pickpocket, and to think I was going to give him money anyway. But we could have just stopped him." Deceit said.

"We don't want to attract too much attention to ourselves. If we caught that kid, the authorities, who we would have turned him over to, might question us."

"Isn't most of the authority here under Losdar?" Deceit asked.

Cross drank water again before answering. "No, he is powerful merchant, but he also hides the fact he is with the black market. Especially now since the Ylisseans are cracking hard on our resources." Cross eat another piece of his salad. "This town doesn't have a mayor or leader. Despite being in Ylissean territory, this city is neutral or independent from the other countries. Lodsar needs to remain "Neutral" to the public. Let's finish this up and head there soon."

After they paid for their food, they generously tipped their waiter.

* * *

The trio entered a large and extravagant looking building.

"*Whistle* It's people like these that make me wonder how The Benefactor got so rich." Deceit said.

The three of them stood in front of a large door way. Before they could enter, the guards blocked their path with spears.

"State your business!" One of them said.

"_When the sun does set_…" Cross started.

"_The moon shall bathe in red_." Deceit finished.

"… Let them through." The guard said. They cleared the path. "Lord Losdar is on the third floor."

The trio walked up the stairs again and came to another fancy door. This time, the guards opened the door.

A voice came out as they walked in. "Who told you to let someone in? I am enjoying my meal- Oh! You must forgive me, Assassins. I was having a late lunch because of a stubborn trade meeting a while back. The economy these days…"

The voice belonged to a big boned merchant. He was in extravagant clothes and almost flamboyant colors. He was eating a delicious looking turkey.

Losdar snapped his fingers and his servants came in and quickly cleaned his mouth and hands. They put on another fancy robe on him and Lodsar stood up to great them.

Cross went over and shook hands with Lodsar. "Lodsar, are there any messages from The Benefactor?"

Lodsar thought about it for a moment. "Hmm… Actually he did send out a few messages, but…" he looks to the trio. "It wasn't meant for any of you three. He requested eight others."

"Who?" Deceit asked.

"I didn't memorize the names! It's somewhere in my office; I could get it for you if you would like." Lodsar offered.

"No thanks." Cross said. "But thank you for the offer. In this case then, just message the Benefactor that we are on our way to Cobalt Port to meet up with Armed."

"Alright. *Snap!* You heard him men! Send the message now!" Two servants left the room.

Lodsar turned to them again with a smile. "Ahh right! How would you all like to stay in our guest rooms for the night before you go? You can all re organize your weapons or something while you're here."

"Ooh! Could we have some of your finest wines?" Deceit asked.

"Ha, why not?!" Lodsar said.

They both looked to Cross. "… I do need to restock on arrows. I'm fairly low on ammo. So thank you for the offer."

"Alright then! Men, show our guest to their rooms." Lodsar went back and continued eating.

The servants all lead the Assassins away.

As they were walking away, Deceit whispered to Cross. "As much as I like wine, he was adamant in making sure we stayed here for the night. Should we be prepared?"

"…Just a little, Lodsar is a cautious man: ambitious but cautious. He wouldn't risk the entire wrath of the Syndicate and the Benefactor. I doubt he is going to try anything stupid." Cross thought.

After the Assassins left, Lodsar took out a piece of paper. "Hmm… two million bounty?" Lodsar said as he looked at a wanted poster of Cross. "Those poor fools who even try it…"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Yes, yes, come in." Lodsar says as he puts his hand on his head and rubs it.

Two soldiers came in restraining a beggar child.

"Let go of me!" the kid screams.

The guards salute and say to Lodsar. "Milord, we finally caught the pickpocket troubling the other merchants for the past month."

"Good job. Just put him in the dungeon." Lodsar said nonchalantly.

"When my brother hears about this he is going to kick all of your buts!" The kid whined.

"Yeah, yeah, I've face lawyers before…" Lodsar said sarcastically.

"AAAH!" Some screams were heard down stairs, along with the sound of weapons clashing and people being knocked out.

A red haired mercenary appears from the stair way wielding a blade.

"Let go of my brother." The merc comes in and points a blade at Lodsar.

Rather than being scared or surprised, Lodsar became curious. "Hey… did you just go through three floors of my personal guard?"

"…" The man didn't answer.

A smile formed in Lodsar's face. "What's your name boy?"

"Ton." The mercenary said.

"… Well then Ton, you see your little brother has been causing trouble for this city for over a month. And now you just so happen to come- "Blades a chargin!" into my home. I lost much of my guard to you and now you owe me money."

"…I'll pay you back later, just let my brother go now."

"That's a wanted poster tucked away in your pocket isn't it?" Lodsar noticed a paper sticking out of one of Ton's pockets.

"Yes, I'm a bounty hunter."

"Well then I have an idea that benefits both of us…" Lodsar's smile only widens as he starts to chuckle.

* * *

It's night now.

Cross is in his bed sleeping and dreaming…

_Crap! It's the royal army! What do we do!?_

…

_Don't worry they won't attack as long as we have these hostages!_

…

_Bring that kid out and use him as a meat shield!_

…

… _I'm so sorry; I was a terrible father… I'm-_

…

_I can't bring them back, all I can offer is power: power to make sure this never happens to you again._

_Here, take my hand._

"AH! *Gasp!* *Pant* Damn it! Stupid nightmares!" Cross get out of bed and puts on his helm. He takes out his cross bows and checks them again.

*Creak…*

Cross points his crossbow. *Click-Bang!*

The arrow dug near into the wall, but at the door was the same red haired mercenary Cross saw earlier today.

…

"How did you know I was here?" Cross asked.

"There were already rumors of Lodsar being a liaison for the Syndicate. One of the soldiers boasted about your location while being drunk in a bar filled with bounty hunters…" Ton explained.

"Cross! We need help here! *Kick-SLAM!*" Deceit's voice is heard.

Cross took out his second crossbow. Ton prepared his blade.

Tonight, one way or another, the moon shall bathe in red.

[Recommended Music=Position Music - Brand New Fist (Epic Action Hybrid Rock)]

Cross shot an arrow while Ton blocked it.

(He should be at a disadvantage from here. I trapped him in this room. As long as I protect the doorway, I can easily force him into close combat.) Ton thought while waiting for Cross' next move.

*Thud!*

A powerful strike shook the room.

"I wouldn't stand there if I were you." Cross said.

Ton raised his brow but suddenly some dust fell on top of him.

*CRACK! CRASH!*

The ceiling right above Ton collapsed. Ton got out of the way. When the dust cleared, a man in a blue mask was seen standing over two bounty hunters.

Ton recognized that man. "Wait a sec- You're from this morning! Then…" He looked to Cross.

Cross shot another arrow, but Ton dodged. "We both know that doesn't change the situation." Cross said.

"…No it doesn't." Ton got ready with his blade.

"Hey! Cross, hurry up!" A shout came from above. One of the bounty hunters was standing right at the wall.

"Whose side are you on?!" Ton screamed.

"The Assassin's! Lad…" Deceit said. Ton then mental face palmed for realizing the obvious.

Cross ran to Voodoo and Voodoo gave a jump boost for Cross to go to the upper floor. Voodoo jumped behind him and the other two assassins caught their ally.

Ton went out of the room and talked to the other bounty hunters there. "Get to the third floor!"

*BOOM!*

Voodoo smashed a wall down. The three Assassins started running toward Lodsar's main room. As they all ran the house was under siege, smoke and broken walls were all over the place and the sound of soldiers fighting with bounty hunters was also heard in the bottom floors.

"Damn, this place feels like the assassination of the Duke of Heigo Dox, in western Regna Ferox, all over again." Deceit reminisced.

"Only with less frogs." Cross commented. They all went to the main door.

"Bust it open, Voodoo." Cross said. Both he and Deceit stepped out of the way and Voodoo spun his hammer.

**BANG!-BOOM!**

"Soldiers! – Wait! Ahh Cross! You have no idea, how hectic this all is! What are these bounty hunters doing here?!" Lodsar asked hiding behind his bodyguards.

"I was told that one of your men got to drunk on his shift off." Cross said.

"Blasted Fool! Well anyway, come on! I was just about to leave to my secret escape route." Some of the guards open up a secret stairway. "I will send some of my guards to distract them while the rest of us escape!"

"Didn't know you had a secret escape." Deceit said as Lodsar started walking down.

As soon as the Assassins moved in, the stairway hid itself.

Lodsar explained what this all was. "It's a passage way to an underground river. There is an ancient chamber that was found when I was constructing my escape route originally. My architects and geologists detected some odd ground pressure and decided to dig deeper. They found what seemed to be an old ruin long buried underneath from a catastrophic landslide. The ruins were very interesting. It seemed to be the remains of a water temple that control the underground river's flow. I was able to use it to filter my own supply of fresh water. I was planning to eventually open up an artificial river, but I could never come up with an idea on how to bring this all up to the surface."

As they left the stairs, they came to cave where a river flowed.

"This looks amazing!" Deceit exclaimed. Even Cross and Voodoo seemed to be in awe.

"We should have two boats large enough to carry us all downstream." Lodsar pointed over to a dock with two fairly large boats. "We should be able to reach that ruins chamber. There, I have another exit waiting for us." They all got into the boats and sailed across.

After a while, they came to the ruins. The ruins looked like the remains of something almost like a church. Tables and other construction equipment were seen on the side showing some of the ideas Lodsar had but could never use.

"I'm curious… What was this temple built for?" Cross asked.

"Well… I wanted to have a historian come by, but I didn't know any professionals who were my friends. I didn't want them to tell this secret, so I had some of my scholars learn some basic studies… they found this temple to be oddly curious." Lodsar said as he was pushing in some stones in the wall.

"What is curious about it?" Deceit asked.

"It was made in honor of three things: Naga, Grima, and an untranslatable third thing."

"This place honors both those gods? And something else?" Cross questioned.

"Cruelly, the information on the third deity was lost; however, it does spark an intriguing theory: is there truly something that borders Life and Death?" as Lodsar finishes his thought, he opens the door. Lodsar motions the Assassins in first and he and his guards follow in after.

They enter some kind of dark chamber. The trio walks a little further…

All of the torches in the room all suddenly lit at the same time. Showing on the opposite side of the room was a band of bounty hunters lead by Ton, the red mercenary.

"What?!" Deceit screamed as he and Voodoo got their weapons out. "What are they doing here?!"

The bounty hunters all drew their weapons. And the body guards of Lodsar did as well.

"So is this the part you betray us, Lodsar?" Cross said. Deceit and Voodoo looked back and saw the body guards pointing their weapons at them.

"Darn, I was sure I could fool you this time. What gave me away?" Lodsar took out a tome and magically warped into a balcony looking from above.

"I have to admit Lodsar. You actually did fool me. The fights were so realistic, but there were a few details that did make me question the situation." Cross said.

"The fights were actually real." Lodsar said. "I only told a few of my men this plan and paid the other bounty hunters to kill my men. I knew the fighting had to be real in order to trick you, Cross. But please, what tipped my hand?"

"The bounty hunter you chose to fight me. He knew exactly where to find me. I doubt a drunken soldier knew that exact location of where we were when it was your servants that showed us into the rooms. You seemed a little too quick in being angry over said employee. And I knew what type of person the mercenary was because I met him before this event."

"Hmm? You did?" Lodsar asked and Ton seemed confused.

"When I helped him up… let's just say I've seen eyes like that before…" Cross takes out both of his crossbows.

"…"

[Recommended music= Extreme Music - Wake Up Call)]

"Whatever! Kill them!" Lodsar said as he activated a lever. Water started flowing in the chamber.

"Is that man mad?" Deceit said. "You'll drown us all!"

"Deceit, take a closer look at the people in here. None of them even seem scared… of us." Cross looks up to Lodsar. "How much do all these people owe you?"

"You'd be quite surprised at the prices of the world's economy these days." Lodsar laughed.

The warriors all charged at the Assassins.

Despite what looked to be a forty five on three, the Assassins all fought like demons slowly picking off their attackers, dodging steel and breaking bodies of their opponents. With the rising water levels, all of the fighters had their leg movement significantly reduced.

This especially trouble Cross as everyone decided he would be the easiest target.

Ton attacked first, trying to slash away at Cross. Cross ducked and weaved in close range. Ton tried to slash him one more time, but Cross was able to fire his crossbow right at his leg.

"Aah!" Ton screamed as he kneeled down. Cross then shot his second bow to knock his blade out of his hands.

"Big Brother!"

Everyone looked up and saw a little boy tied up near Lodsar.

"Hurry up now Ton. If you died, what would happen to your brother."

"That's low Lodsar." Deceit said.

"Deceit!" Cross screamed.

Deceit looked behind him and was tackled into the water with two people.

After a while none of them came out.

"Voodoo, look for Deceit!" Cross yelled out. Voodoo nodded and dove in to the waist deep waters. Leaving only Cross left with the last of the warriors.

Cross kept shooting, the waters slowly filled to be red. Before Cross could shoot again, he was grabbed from behind. He looked over and saw Ton trying to choke him to death.

"HAHA! The mighty Knight of Strife falls this day!" Lodsar cheered. "Hurry up and kill him, Ton!"

Cross elbowed Ton in the waist continuously until he let go. Cross hurried and spun his body around; he tried to aim right for Ton, but Ton kicked up his crossbow into the water. Cross tried his other one, but Ton once more smacked it out of his hands. Ton followed it up by punching Cross and almost causing him to fall.

"This is taking too long! Catch!" Lodsar threw something off the balcony.

"AAAAH!" *SPLASH!*

"Buile!" Ton yelled for his brother. And went after him.

Cross looked up. "Why are you doing that?!"

"Please, I can't risk anyone knowing what really happened here! I planned to kill you all from the start!" Lodsar opened his tome. Cross widened his eyes in horror since he saw it to be an Archthunder tome.

"Archthunder!" Lodsar zapped the red pool. Causing an immense pain to all the remaining warriors. Slowly the last of them all fell one by one, hearing only Lodsar's laughter and wails of pain from people around them.

"Bu-Bu" Ton Tried to pick up his brother but he was into much pain.

"HAHAHA- WHAT!?" A knife came out of nowhere and knocked the tome out of Lodsar's hands.

Lodsar looked behind him and saw one of his soldiers holding several knives and giving him an angry glare. And beside him, a tall black cloaked man with a blue mask.

"Voodoo, deactivate the water flow." Deceit said as he held a knife to Lodsar's neck.

*Click!*

The water started slowly flowing out.

Cross slowly got up.

"You OK Cross?" Deceit asked from above.

"…I felt worse…" He got back up and saw his crossbows. He picked them both up and looked around.

"You the only survivor?" Deceit asked. Voodoo went up to Lodsar and threw him over to his shoulder.

"Uh hand me-"

"You'll stay as humanly quiet as possible." Voodoo said in a deep voice.

"You're in for it now, Lodsar." Deceit said. "Voodoo's wrath alone is enough to send the hounds of Grima afraid with their tails between their legs."

Both of them jumped off the balcony and went to Cross. Cross was staring in one direction.

The others looked in his direction and saw Ton, the red mercenary. He was still alive… but his brother wasn't.

"Buile…*Sob* you fool… *Sob* I told you… I would feed us…"

Cross motioned to Voodoo. Cross spoke out, "Hey."

Voodoo tossed Lodsar to the floor.

Ton looked back to the Assassins then he saw Lodsar and stood up.

"We were going to handle him, but you can have him." Cross said. He tossed one of his bows to Ton. "But I need that weapon back."

Ton just looked at Lodsar. Lodsar was scared and afraid. "You- You can't kill me! You owe me!" Lodsar tried to say.

"…" Ton bent over and shoved the crossbow into the mouth of Lodsar. "Then I'll pay you back in hell."

*Click!- SPLATTER!*

…

With the deed done, Ton feel over and tossed the crossbow to Cross.

"Now what Cross?" Deceit asked.

"…" Cross walked over to Ton. "I know how you feel." Cross removed his helm and Ton looked up.

"I got this scar on my head because I trusted someone like Lodsar. I lost my family and the people that would care for me so. Let me tell you what I was told at my lowest point."

Cross extended his hand to him. "I can't bring them back, all I can offer is power: power to make sure this never happens to you again. Here, take my hand."

Ton took the hand and stood up to meet Cross. "Now this one is optional: you can tell us your name which we can use, or you could tell us what you want to be called now and abandon your old identity."

Ton thought it over and said to them, "You may call me… Crimson."

The trio bowed and then all extended their arms to him.

"Welcome to the Forty Assassin Syndicate, Crimson."

After the new baptism from blood, the four of them left through the secret passage. When they came out they saw it was late at night and that it was all under a red moon.

They all walked away to Cobalt port under the red night, all while the town was set ablaze from the fighting Lodsar had caused.

* * *

**Yo guys!**

**We have a new recruit for the F.A.: Crimson. **

**I would have loved to put more detail into the Origin stories of Cross and Crimson in this chapter, but I was a bit pressed for space. I don't want a chapter to be too long, so maybe I'll get into it in another chapter.**

**Maybe now I'll put a list of all the Assassins known.**

**Marvo**

**Cross**

**Thayer**

**Zul**

**Dadlam**

**Arson**

**Deceit**

**Psych**

**Adrenaline**

**Voodoo**

**Armed**

**Crimson**

**And we are potentially going to hear about even more of them.**

**OK this next one is about the second Slot for the cross over event.**

**Congrats on Pikapikaluv for taking the first slot!**

**Now we talk about the second slot.**

**But before I do, I need to talk about a new rule.**

**You see, some of the OC's I was sent didn't come from their own stories. In fact, the characters I was sent were just characters...and nothing else.  
**

**I will accept these types of characters but please…**

**NEW RULE: If your OC doesn't come from your own story then please include a summarized version of how they came to be or meeting the other characters. Like a short intro story.  
**

**I want your characters to be your characters, if I don't have some idea of where they come from or who they were, chances are that they may not come out well if I write them with that lack of info. **

**So if you already sent me information about your character from the last rules, add this new one too!**

**For the second slot: you guys don't need to answer a question this time. (I may sincerely regret this decision.) But the info above is almost mandatory along with the rules of the previous chapter.**

**With that out of the way, Thank you to all those that sent me their characters! You guys are so creative and fun, I wish I could choose you all, but we all know that wouldn't work. **

**Sorry! But Rock on readers!**

_I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.__  
__Ron White_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	26. Phase 2 Update 6

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 6

UNABLE TO MAINTAIN MENTAL CONNECTIONS…

RE-PROCESSING…

OVERVIEW ENABLED.

Whyyyyyyyy!?

* * *

+_Knoll, please refrain from screaming in your own mind when I'm sharing it with you._+

But the wedding is in less than a month! Do you have any idea how big this is going to be?! And I not only have to fix the music for the entire thing, I just found out I have to learn how to dance! Because all Shepherds are doing a formal dance! (Poor Lon'qu…)

I HAVE NEVER DANCED BEFORE!

+_Just calm down. Why don't you go on patrol like you usually do or play with Streaky for a while._+

I would if I could, but I can't! Today is actually a slow day. Nothing is going on here! Absolutely-

* * *

DAMAGE CONNECTIONS TO SYSTEM RESTORATION STILL UNDER REPAIR.

REDIRECTING ANALYSIS CLEANER…

ACCESSING FOREIGN PROGRAMING…

Haildom of Ylisse - Valm

MODE: OVERVIEW ENABLED.

PROFANITY FILTER LEVEL: LOW.

* * *

Nothing…

Where am I?

This place… isn't this the place where they "Kill" that Volibear or something? Or was I thinking League of Legends?

Wait wrong game. I'm in Fire Emblem. But now that I think of it, Valoran would be a cooler place for me to visit…

Wait… V- V… Ah, now I remember: this place belongs to that Validar fool, the human sharp stick. I bet if you put him in a room of balloons, everyone balloon he touches will instantly pop. I bet even his ass is point as ****

…How could the Avatar's mom love a guy like that? Considering the default Avatars are both pretty in male and female, which means they were lucky in the gene sharing, the mom must have been some beauty!

"Oh she still is…"

What the- Who the hell is this guy?

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Red man…" Wow, I wouldn't have guessed.

"What? Is that some rejected hero both Marvel and DC didn't like?" I was a huge fan of Sarcastic Man.

"… Must you always be like that?" He looks at me as he says as this.

"Meh, I've been having trouble with some of my thoughts lately. It's flowing a lot lately. So Red dude, what are you?" Odd, I seem to lack empathy for some reason…

The dude bows. "Think of me as a supporter. You've been sent into this world by Naga."

"OK."

"That's it? "OK"?"

"Well what else can I do? So why am I here?"

"Naga saw a problem in this world. A problem you've been sent here to correct."

"Please be specific." Or else I will assume I'm here to check to see if her farts smell bad or something. Of course, I can't tell this to his face. Creepy as it is.

"Well I will be, but first I need to help you with your mind. Your mind isn't adjusting properly from the transfer between the worlds, might have been an error or an obnoxiously high level of vitamin D, but I'm just going to ask you to focus." He makes a blue orb appear between the two of us. "Stare at this orb and don't try to think. Breathe in and breathe out…focus…"

…

…

I stare at it a few more seconds and the Red Dude makes it vanish.

"Good job. Your thoughts shouldn't be as disorganized as it was a while back."

Yeah, don't feel like thinking about another topic.

"Alright then…" Red man poofs in two chairs and he sits on one of them. I sit on the other obviously.

"The reason you're here is because someone came into this timeline. Someone else came to this timeline and messed it up. Naga believes by getting rid of this surplus, the timeline will be restored."

"Then why not do it? It sounds too easy."

"Well that's the thing, Naga used up most of her power to summon you here. And she couldn't do it herself originally because some other powerful being was protecting that mistake."

"So I have to just kill a guy?" Being summoned all the way over to fight another guy's chosen warrior to save the world … am I sure I'm not in Valoran?

"No, you might have to stay even after to make sure the world gets healed from the damages that were caused by them."

Now that I think of it, this guy looks kind of creepy to be Naga's subordinate.

"I only dress like this as a style of preference." Red man says.

Hey… "You can read minds?"

"Not really. We are in your subconscious; you are asleep and this is what we call a Dream Session. This is where you meet with other beings that can't be in the same physical plane as you. Since were also meeting in your mind, your thoughts aren't as private as you'd hope…"

"That… OK… Seems like something to say in a fantasy story." I say.

"I would say that you technically are in a fantasy like setting, and start another wonderful conversation." Looks like he can be sarcastic too. "But I'm pressed for time. William or do you prefer Will for short?"

"Will is fine."

"Do you have any questions for me?" Red takes out some clip board and a pen. Wow, this feel like a job interview all of a sudden.

But questions… where to start? "So why did you pick me? Was it some kind of cliché of me being the "chosen one" or what not?"

"Actually it's random. Anyone who has played the game would have been picked, even the slightly sadder people of society *CoughOtakCough!* …Excuse me. Which means we were rather lucky you were summoned here."

"Whoop-de-doo…" Go me. "Wait, what did you just say in between coughs?"

"Um, how familiar are you with some Japanese media?"

"Anime? Haven't watched any since Dragon Ball when I was eight. I hear One Titan(?) and Attack on Piece is good. Why?" Those were the names of recently popular anime right? Or did I hear wrong?

"…Good. Keep it like that. There are some people who we don't want to bring in this world."

Wow, he seemed rather desperate about that and he seemed disappointed in me for some reason… But I should probably keep asking.

"What about the green dagger I was given? What is it?"

"It's a weapon with a special type of magic. It was specifically designed so when you kill the target, the being protecting him will be banished from this world as well."

OK… Him? So… "Who is the guy I have to kill?"

"I actually can't give you a name, but I can tell you he should be easy to spot, since you know the game."

Really? "Why not just tell me?"

"Because if we say the name, we might get detected by the enemy. It was hard enough timing this meeting with you."

"Since when does a name do that?" This is getting annoying, like some author forcing his plot to his characters.

"Think of it like this: When you say someone's name in a bar, and it's a name someone knows, they will look at you. Think of that in a more complicated-magic-cosmic- way thing."

… "Are you sure you're my support? You seem rather unsure yourself."

"…"

This… this might take a while. "Uh… Oh! What about my physical abilities? There was no way I could move that fast or feel that strong before."

He rubs his chin. "Well the easiest way to explain this… You know how Super Man has super strength because Krypton had a stronger gravity than Earth right?"

"So this world has a weaker gravity than Earth? If only this stuff applied when I was four… Oh the bruises I kept giving myself…" And the fact I actually wore my father's underwear on my head with my blanket tied to my neck really didn't help the fact I was pretending to be a superhero.

"Pfft! … You wore your father's underwear?" He stops himself from laughing. I forgot he could read my thoughts here.

But ya wanna play like that? "This coming from the entirely red fashion disaster subordinate of a Dragon Lady, who doesn't even understand how saying one name can reveal our presence to the enemy?"

He shuts up and looks at me with a glare. I just smirk back at him. Mission accomplished.

"…Well played…"

"Thank you, sir. Would you like another?"

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that! *Sigh* It looks like my time is up. You're waking up now."

Everything is starting to turn black and just look back to Red. "So does this mean _the other questions have to wait -_crap?"

He just looks at me and puts on a top hat.

"Yep."

* * *

…

….

Hello ceiling, we meet again.

Now where am I? Still wearing these black and dark green clothes… These look kinda cool… like a dark anti hero feel… I should get out of this bed now.

Hmm? The windows… are they barricaded? …Now that I take a better look at this room, besides the bed, everything here looks like a condemned building.

I take a peek out of one of the holes: looks like there some grassy plains go on for a while. I see one road… some soldiers in red… and it seems like it's a beautiful day- wait…

Wasn't I attacked by people wearing red armor?

…

They seem to be talking… Let me see if I can…

"Are you sure they aren't here?" I hear a gruff voice. I think it's a soldier.

This time I hear a rather soft voice. Kinda sounds like a grandma. "Our word is true. We have not seen the Princess come here."

"How do we know you aren't hiding her?" The soldier questions.

"W-why would she even stay here?" The old woman sounds tense.

"We received word that she was helping an injured man in her escape from the capital." Uhhh. "If this was the case, then this was the farthest she could have come before dropping him off. We were quick in this, so she should still be here according to our analysis!" The soldier screams.

"Sh-she isn't here…" Crap, she sounds like she is lying…

Wait… I don't think that this old place is her house right? So…

My thoughts get distracted because of the soldier. "Ransack the village! Search every nook and cranny for them!"

Screams, metal, and other sounds from a riot. I probably shouldn't do anything…

… Da** it! why did my mother have to keep nagging me to do the right thing!? Where is my dagger!?

There it is! Ha! Now to get out of here.

I open the door and run out I see the exit just a little-

"Stop!" Wha- hey! It's that blonde chick from the temple!

"Sorry lady, but it just won't sit right to just let those people get treated like that!"

"I agree with Sir Willam!" I look over and I see Say'ri with her blade drawn. "Noble cousin, we must help them! They harbored us in and hid us!"

"Because they all know what would happen if you were caught! Our people need you!" The girl has a point we can't go in there without exposing the princess. Yeesh, wai-

"Say that again!" I quickly say to the blonde (what was her name again?)

She looks at me frightened. "Pardon me?"

"Sure, you're pardoned. But say that last part again!" I need that train of thought to come back.

"….Our…people need you?" The girls both look at me strangely. But my train of thought is back.

"Exactly! They need Say'ri here. If I go out there, they will all assume I know where you are and follow me out of here!"

"What!?" They both seem angry at that now.

"But you're injured!/ I will not endanger your life!" they both say at the same time.

"I'm not injured nor are you endangering my life. This is my choice. (Oh god this is one crazy plan I'm having!) It's better if I go out there alone. Hide and stay here, when they leave run or something."

"Do not be so foolish! How could you even suggest a thing!?" Say'ri asks.

"I won't argue about this, the longer we stand discussing this, the more those people are getting hurt!" I get to the door and open it.

"HEY YOU LOUSY RED COLORED FOOLS!" I yell out with all my might. Everything silences down as the soldiers all look at me.

Crap there is a lot of them- gotta do it still.

"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" I run up to one of their horses and ride one. Thank you Uncle Kole for those horse riding lessons! "HIYA!"

I ride off and I look back to see the others screaming and pointing at me.

"That's the guy!/ black clothing with dark green trims!/ After Him!/My horse!?" They all start screaming and chase after me.

Great my plan worked! ….. Oh, great my plan worked!? There are more of them than I expected and where the heck am I even leading them off to? Stupid gung ho moments like these!

Screw it! I'll just keep- What just flew over me?

I look up and I see- hey! It's that crow again! Is it flying into that forest?

"Hiya!" Fine, I'll follow you again you dumb bird. There better not be any giant snakes this time!

I head into the forest and the fools all follow me. The forest seems to get thicker as I keep moving in…

…

I don't hear them or see them anymore, guess I should trust that bird more-

"*NEIGH!*"

Crap the horse! Did it just get frightened by something?! Is that a snake on the ground!? Son of a-

"*NEIGH!*"

"AAAGH!" It dropped me! And now it's running off in a different direction! ****!

"Hissssss…."

When I get that bird…

"Ssss…" The snake slithers away from me. So what? Am I not good enough for it to eat? Wait snakes don't eat people- I think my mind is being loose again. All I gotta do is focus… focus on the **** bird…

"CAW!" I look up and see the blasted thing on top of a tree.

I move over some bushes as I try closer to it "There you are you blasted- Whoa!"

That was close! I almost fell down this steep cliff! Oh, I'm killing that bird!

"There he his! Charge!"

I look behind me and I see the stupid soldiers are after me! I hide behind the bushes.

"We have him now! Charge!" One of them says and they all motion themselves faster. I can feel the ground shaking as they come closer.

But aren't I near a cliff? Hey…

"SurrendAAAAAAAAA!"

A good majority of them ran off a cliff! Leaving the last two to gawk at what happened. Now it's time!

I jump out and make a loud sound, "BOOGAH!"

"*Neigh!*" Both their horses are surprised and throw their riders off the cliff. (Well one of them fell off and rolled off, but hey, it works.

"Caw!"

I look up and glare at the crow. "I don't know what your deal is with snakes, but leave me out of it!" I go over to one of the horses and remove its saddle and armor. For the other one, I remove everything except the saddle. I then ride it back to the town.

* * *

As I come back into the damaged village, people there surround me and start cheering.

Two people stand out as they come to meet me.

"Sir William?! How did you lose the pursuers?" Say'ri asked.

I got off the horse and answered her, "It was pure luck. Basically, I led them off a cliff." I say.

Everyone looks at me weirdly. "What?"

"Noble cousin- Oh Sir William you have returned." I see the blonde chick is back.

Say'ri turns to her cousin. "Kai'tao." (Ahh that was the name…)

"The village has offered some of their healthiest horses for us…" She said.

Say'ri turns to one of them. "We cannot accept this. You have already done so much for us and we have only caused you trouble."

"Please Princess! You must flee so we may be one day free of Walhart and his men." They replied. "You must go now, before they send more of them!"

Say'ri reluctantly nods and they bring in the horses. I simply get on the horse I stole.

The three of us then ride off.

Hey, wait a sec… why am I following these two? If I continue following these guys trouble will come crashing right after me. Red told me that I have to kill a guy to get out of this sooner- I mean fix this place! But isn't that the same thing? He mentioned that the mistake is in the main story, so this means I might have to be with the Shepherds after all… I do like all the characters, but I can't help but feel like I should avoid them for some reason…

"Um… sir William?"

I look over and see the Kai- something- who seems to be talking to me. "Yes?"

"I have been meaning to ask- not that we aren't grateful for what you already have done, but why are you accompanying us?"

I think about it for a moment. "Well… I did come to this place unknowingly. I just woke up here. I figure I could just follow you two until something works out."

"I am indebted to you, Sir Willam…" Say'ri says rather sullenly. "You saved my cousin and saved those people, while I could only just stand there…"

Oh no, I don't want her to feel bad. "Whoa- Hey! Stop right there!" I motion my horse to move faster and meet up with Say'ri. Wow, she really seems close to tears. I try to cheer her up. "Look, I'll be honest: I have no idea what you must be going through now. You lost your home, family, and when you wanted to help those people, you knew that you couldn't. I can't even begin to imagine how powerless you must have felt- but trust me on this one. I once had my favorite toy broken for Christma- I mean my-uh- birthday!" Both of them stare at me awkwardly, but I try to continue. "I cried like crazy for it, but my dad told me one thing. "Boy, things are always going to break in this world, even the things you don't want broken the most. But that's life, it's not about how much stuff you get or lose, it's about what you do and what you learn from everything else. I just pray that what you learn will make you a great man." I kept those words to my heart. So listen Say'ri, bad things like this may continue to happen, but that's life. All we could ever do is move on and become better people from all of this…" I finish my little speech.

Say'ri closes her eyes and wipes away some tears. "You are quite right, Sir William… The suffering may continue… However, I plan to end it as soon as possible!" She screamed.

"That's the spirit!" I say. "So where do we go now?"

…

…

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me…

"I-I have never truly left the capital…" Say'ri admits.

"I have not left the capital city…" Kai slowly says.

"Don't you guys even have a map!?" I yell.

"I…" I look at Kai. "I…believe that I was given one…by the villagers…"

I sigh. "Alright, let's stop really quickly. I wanna read the map."

We pull over and I get off. Kai hands me the map and I look over it. First off: Why does Say'ri not know where to go!? I mean- she was handling the resistance by herself! Of course I remember Fen'fay being the reason why she wasn't caught, but I imagined her to at least be resourceful! Wait… wasn't she unarmed when we first saw her in the game?

…

I sigh and take a look at the map. It shows the continent of Valm and I vaguely remember most if this from the game. I spot where Chon'sin's capital was and try to find the nearest village. Unfortunately, this map only seems to have major cities in it. Since this is a non satellite map, I guess villages are not things they accurately depict.

"Which direction did you guys carry me from the capital?" I ask.

"East sir." Say'ri replies. She comes over and points to a road near the capital. "This was the road we were escaping when we stumbled upon you. But we ventured north east to about… here… because we were to avoid the reinforcing armies coming through the road." She says.

I think I get it. "OK, since I'm assuming we keep heading east that puts our general location around… here then- I guess…" We are already near the border of this place and Rossane- hey that's Virion's home! Is Cherche still there? "We should probably head to Rossane." I say.

"Yes, I do believe Rossane is still on neutral terms with Walhart…" Say'ri said. Rossane hasn't been conquered yet? So I can't expect the Shepherds for a while then…

"Alright then, let's go- *Grumble!*" Whoops. "Sorry about that. I guess it's been a while since I have eaten…"

*GROWL!*

Wait… that wasn't my stomach…

*GROWL!*

… Wait a sec… "Let me check the map really quick… I think there is a nearby city that borders both here and Rossane… should be close if I'm reading this right…" I try to ignore the growling stomachs of the two women.

"Ye-yes! Let us make haste!" Say'ri says as she and Kai go back to the horses.

As we move along, I can't help but wonder what type of food these women usually eat…

* * *

"There it is!" I say as we travel above a hill. I'm glad we spotted it- Son of a-

"Sir Willam? What is troubling…" Kai interrupted my thoughts but it doesn't matter.

We can see the town now, but there are soldiers with Walhart's symbol all over them! I think the city is under martial law or something.

*GROWL!*

Of course…

"How are we to go there now?" Kai asked.

Say'ri suggests. "Fie! We should turn back."

"Wait." I say. I look over to the outskirts of town and spot something that stands out like sore thumb. "Is… is that a circus?"

"What is a Circus?" I look to both of the women with slightly disappointed looks.

I try to explain, "Think of it as our way in the city…" This is so going to top my previous idea earlier today on stupidity.

* * *

"Thank you so much Mr. Haly for your cooperation." I say to the ring master. Who is totally against Walhart especially for scaring most of his costumers and who is an all around nice guy.

"Please, call me Jack. I still can't believe you have some of Chon'sin's royal family here." He says and then we both look over to something that even I must admit, looked really good.

How can I even think about this without a smile or a chuckle? Ha! But one of the "disguises" for the girls to fit in this traveling circus just so happened to be dancers! Yep, the same class as Olivia! Say'ri and Kai are now dressed up in that stunning dancer wear! And both of them are redder than a tomato! No wonder Olivia is always so shy! (A funny note is that both of them are styled the same and look exactly like twins now… weird. A blonde Say'ri…) I can't help but look away and hold in my laughter from exploding…

Oh god, I'm just imagining what would happen if Yen'fay were to see them now… Oh that would be golden!

"Krff! He-pff- Hey Girls! Haha- I'm sorry! Give me a moment…" I know they are probably glaring or trying to, but I cannot face them without laughing.

"Sir William! I will not stand for this! This shameless dress and this- Are you mocking me?!" Say'ri tries to tell me. But I can't help but burst into laughter. I try to open my water eyes and I see both of my old traveling companions so red that I think their heads are about to burst- just like my lungs!

"Ha! OK-OK! Hahaha… I'll stop now… Oh yeah… I'm sorry, what?" Oh hey Say'ri, is that my dagger you're pointing at my neck?

"Haha! Careful there boy! A woman's wrath is something to fear, but I think you just incurred two of them! Ahaha!" Jack tells me.

While Say'ri really seems like she is going to gut me in half. I can't help but smile at the look on her and Kai's face, they are so cute!

"Now now Princess." One of the lead dancers, Yalana, calms her down. "That is very un-lady like."

Yalana is a very beautiful woman with long and silky green brown hair. I can see why she is one of their star actors.

"M-m-mu-must we truly per-form with such m-madness?" Kai complains while holding her face and being so shy. "N-n-not to sound… rude…" Poor girl she might just cry even though there are only five of us right now.

With Say'ri being calmed down by Yalana, I answer Kai. "Look, girls, this will only be for a while. We just have to lay low until we leave for inner Rossane or at most its capital, which is named what again?" I ask Jack.

"Domicile." Jack tells me.

"What he said. They have a few more shows in the next two days. Then we should be able to leave with these guys."

"Speaking of which…" Jack says and hands me a red nose and a multi colored afro wig. "We have to work on your act… Wacko."

Now I hear the girls laughing at me. I guess this is all fair.

* * *

Wow, oh- gosh that was hard! I fell so many times on my back. I now have an undying respect for clowns everywhere.

I head back to the wagon we were lent while staying here. It's already fairly late at night.

You know, the stars look damn pretty in a medieval world… so clear…so bright…so- so…beautiful…

Uh, I might have not been looking at the stars at the last part… I walk over to my fellow star gazer and greet her. "Hey Say'ri."

"Oh Sir William!"

"You can also call me Will for short. If anyone should be addressing someone properly, it should have been me when I kept calling you Say'ri instead of Princess. Sorry."

"It is fine… Will. However, I don't quite deserve to be a princess as of now…" She looks back up to the stars. "I'll return to being the Princess when my people are free."

"So do you have any idea how you're going to do that?" I think I know, but I better make sure.

"I acknowledge that people are opposed to the Conqueror Walhart, but they need inspiration and courage to do so… I will start a resistance against his movements…" She says and I nod, but then she looks at me for some reason. "Will… I am forever grateful for what you have done for me this day, but I must ask, what shall you do from here?"

…Wow, I didn't think of that… But I still need to find a way back home and the only way back is vaguely tied with the Shepherds… And I know that Say'ri here joins the Shepherds…

I speak to Say'ri, "I have no idea where I actually am and I have no sense of where I have to go to get back home, but I would never forgive myself if I didn't help someone who needed a hand. So, Princess, if you'd let me… I would like to help you a little longer." I say with a smile and she starts chuckling.

"Hahaha! I am sorry, Will. However, I can- can not take y-you seriously with that attire!" She breaks into chuckling as I still see myself wearing the clown wig. How the heck did she take me seriously before?!

"Like you're one to talk." I say back to her. "You're still wearing those dancer clothes out here in the cold!" I eye her playfully. "Don't tell me The Princess of Chon'sin has grown fond of such exotic clothes!"

"How dare you say such words!" She tells me while trying to hide a blush. She heads back into the caravan or wagon home. "For such insolence, you shall sleep on the floor this night!" She looks back and then smiles. She then enters into the thing.

I remove my wig and look back to the sky. It really is quite a sight…

But oddly enough, something just doesn't seem to disappear from the back of my mind…

Why do I have such a bad feeling in my gut?

* * *

**How curious…**

**Knoll had that feeling too when he first came to this world… is there something more to this world than what meets the eye?**

**On the story, I put two little references here.**

**Jack Haly- do you know him? He is either named after or is the name of the Ring Master of The Grayson family! AKA: Dick Grayson/ first Robin's family!**

**If I had a circus chapter, I wanted him to be in here. Especially since I saw his Young Justice version in episode 24 in season one! (Curse you, CN! For canceling the only two reasons I woke up on Saturday mornings! RIP Green Lantern too…)**

**The Second one is **Domicile. **–This is the closest word to "Home" in French. I don't know much about the Language, but this technically shouldn't be considered a solid word for "home" either.**

**Besides that, let me explain what I did to Say'ri in this chapter.**

**As most (if not all) of you know, she is the Princess of Chon'sin who is very fond of her brother. **

**Despite that, there doesn't seem to be much on her character besides her sense of duty/culture and formality to other people. So, I decided to change her character a little here.**

**When I first saw the leader of the resistance, I was wondering why was she unarmed?! This made me wonder how much she had to do to escape Walhart for so long, even with Fen'fay's help. Which is why in this chapter, I made Say'ri a bit of a sheltered Princess, who stumbled along her way over the time Chon'sin fell to meeting with The Shepherds. I imagined that during that period she had to grow up by herself, but here, she grew up a little faster with help from a friend.**

**But on a funny note: Say'ri wearing a dancer uniform? HAHAHA!**

**-wait-what? Fanservice? I thought that would be funny than anything else…**

**But now that I think of it… what would all the other females look like as a dancer class?**

…

**Maybe I should make things fair for all genders then: female readers can imagine what they like. You know like- every male wearing Chrom's swimsuit or something. **

…

…**Maybe I should just avoid fanservice from now on in this story.**

**Well let me go on to the winner of the second slot!**

**Congratulations, ****LeonPianta****! For winning the second slot!**

**William: Wait… isn't he the guy who always reviews your chapters? **

… **What?**

**William: Don't tell me you-**

**And now for the rules of the third slot!**

**Now there is actually a surprise for this slot, so for those of you who have sent their info already but hasn't been picked yet… There is still hope for you!**

**And even if you don't get picked, don't feel bad! It was fun with this experience! If the story goes well, then I will definitely make another Crossover Chapter later in the story! (Of course the same winners can't apply again to be fair.)**

**William: Hey wait a sec- how will you even work with something like that?**

**What do you mean?**

**William: Look the idea sounds good, but it might mess up on the real thing. There is the worry if the other OCs will even feel like your fans OC if they are under you. I know you're going to try, but what if it doesn't work? What if despite how huge this event sounds, it turns out to be a letdown of a story?**

…

…**Sigh… Look: when I first started this story, I didn't start it to be famous or anything. I saw one guy write a story and when I read it, I laughed and enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to make a story not because I wanted a lot of people to read/like my story. I made the story because I wanted other people to smile and enjoy my work. **

**So if doesn't work, sorry. But… I think I already did quite amazing in making people enjoy my story.**

**William: Huh… Feel better now?**

**Yeah writing out my thoughts can be weird, but it's amazingly refreshing!**

**William: Next time, think out your own doubts before having me read them out for you!**

**Sure thing! See ya later Will!**

**OK, Sorry about that, needed to get that out of my system.**

**But I have one last major announcement to make!**

**I am making the Crossover Arc earlier this Saga.**

**I really wanted to keep this as a finale, but School is-well- School! While I am moderately free now, I feel I should be preparing the story now so you people have to wait so long.**

**Another reason why I am starting this earlier is because I actually have a lot more ideas for the Skip Saga, so I don't want it to end just yet. (I will try to make it less than the first saga, but I can't promise anything because I am enjoying this so much!)**

**That is why this is the second to the last mini Arc before the Crossover Arc begins**

**Thank you all again for putting up with my endless stream of thoughts and for making this story a success! I think I know how those famous people feel when they owe everything to their fans now. **

**I cannot express my gratitude for you all.**

_The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.__  
__Helen Keller_

**Keep on Reading! And Keep on Dreaming!**

* * *

+_See? A walk down the town is relaxing…_+

(You're right Chronos. I still feel pressured and stressed, but maybe I can think clearly now.)

+_Good, good- Hmm? What is that group of people doing there?_+

(…Wait… no way…)


	27. Phase 2 Update 7

**Hello guys! This chapter is going to be a bit long… Mostly because this is my interpretation of the wedding of Chrom. **

**You see I just don't get romance. I've tried watching romance scenes with my sisters once, but I just didn't get it! The places they were looked pretty, but I just don't understand it…**

**Hopefully the romance scenes here won't be to awkward.**

**But after this, I'll finally be working on the longish waited for- Crossover Arc!**

**WOOOHOOO!**

**So without further ado… The winner of the third slot!**

***Snaps fingers.***

**(Chronos, Knoll, and William appear.)**

**Knoll: Huh?**

**William: Oh man…**

**Chronos: What is it now, PG-13?**

**Drum roll please!**

**Knoll: I don't have drums.**

**Chronos: I don't have hands.**

**William: No.**

…

**Fine then…**

**The Winner for the third and final slot is…**

**ZeroRei00****!**

**Knoll: Cool. So-**

**tblplum****!**

**rdfalcon560****!**

**And ****Sol D. Mars****! Congratulations everyone for winning the third slot!**

**Readers: WHAT!?**

**Knoll/Chronos: WHAT!?**

**Will: The ****!?**

**What? **

**Chronos: Did you just give four people the last slot!?**

**Yeah. I did tell you guys there was a surprise twist in the previous chapter.**

**Will: Are you stupid!? WHY!?**

**Now hear me out guys, there aren't that many people who entered in the first place. And I thought about it a little and decided to include everyone that entered.**

**Knoll: Over 18 OC characters are going to be included in this arc!?**

**What? No! It's between 12-16.**

**Chronos: PG-13 that is the most stupid idea in the world! You just mentioned it would be hard enough with four heroes! Why would you double that number!? **

**I thought about it for a moment and just decided to make this my longest arc yet! I imagine it to span over 6 chapters! Oh this world will never be the same… Or will it?**

**Will: Hey! I was actually looking forward to the chapter Knoll and I meet in the story! Why are you extending it!?**

**Because the other famous self insert stories are all super long! If I want at least half of their fanbase, I need to make this story longer!**

**Knoll: Hey! You said you wanted to enjoy this story, not make it so you'd be famous!**

**I know, but the follows the favorites! They call me like no other… On an actually serious note, I'm also having a lot of fun with this and I don't really want to end it just yet… **

**Chronos: This won't end well…**

**Will: At least I won't be in this train wreck.**

**Oh! For those that won: Expect to be messaged soon. I may need some last minute questions answered on your OCs.**

**Knoll: This is going to be the longest story yet isn't it?**

**Sure it is! Now it's time for that Disclaimer! **

**I own only my OCs. Every other character is owned by Nintendo. Please support the official release.**

* * *

UPDATE 2 PHASE # 7

SYSTEM CONNECTIONS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED.

ACTIVATING CONNECTION…

LOADING…

HARD DRIVE DATA: COPIED AND SAVED.

ACCESSING…

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

It is late at night and we zoom into what seems to be a prison.

The scene goes into one cell. A man in his late forties is seen. He is chained and handcuffed on both his legs and arms. He is seen sitting on the floor with his window shining moonlight on his head hung down.

Sounds are now heard. The guards of this man's cell start talking to themselves.

"So who is this guy again?"

"Odd choice to speak now, newbie." The senior tells him. "I thought you were just one of those strong silent types. Wait- weren't you briefed on who you were guarding?"

"All I was told was his name is Sonedi Samtho. The warden was in a bit of a hurry with the info." The new guy says.

"Oh… the man is charged with murder, fraud, theft, and lying to the public." The senior said. "But really the warden didn't have time to tell you? He real seems so bent on increasing the security lately…"

"Yeah… more patrols, more soldiers, and more checkups… what's with that anyway?"

"Don't you remember? The royal Ylissean wedding is coming soon! It's going to be the biggest event yet! All over the continent are people coming over to see the happy soon to be rulers!"

"I know that… but what does that have to do with this?"

"Because the warden thinks that because everyone's focus is going to be on Ylisse, it would be much easier for some of our prisoners to escape/or bust out during the commotion." The senior says.

A voice comes from within the cell. "The warden is quite the tactical man…"

The senior guard looks back. "Oh, sorry about that, did we wake you up?"

"No… can't really sleep like this to begin with."

The newbie guard notes something. "You two seem to get along fine."

"Well, he is very ambitious but seems rather cruel to just ignore him when he wants to talk. At least he isn't one of the more psychotic or more violent of our prisoners here, so I think it's OK." The senior says.

"Plus the service here isn't too bad…" Sonedi managed to say from the cage.

"Weren't you sent here by a Shepherd?" The newbie asks Sonedi.

"Yes, two of them, who partnered up with someone I have been jealous of for quite some time… Listen to me… I've grown soft now." He chuckled.

"Look on the bright side then." The senior said. "That kind of talk might lower your sentence."

"Wishful thinking… there is too much evidence under the prosecutor's case…" Soendi said.

"…Sorry about that…" the senior said.

Soendi remain quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry too. But it looks like my work isn't done yet."

The senior looked back, "What do you- Krrf!"

*Thud!*

The senior was knocked out cold by the newbie who removed what appeared to be a face mask and revealed a man with tattoos all over the back of his head.

"I don't know how Deceit does it… But anyway Mr. Samtho, I take it you're accepting the offer then?" Marvo takes out the keys and opens the cage and his cuffs.

"My only other choice is death either way isn't it?" Sonedi says as he walks out with Marvo. "By the way, thank you for not killing him. He was kind enough to keep me company in my stay here." Sonedi referred to the knocked out guard.

"I'm not that heartless."

Marvo easily escorted Sonedi out of his prison.

* * *

OVERVIEW ENABLED

* * *

(Chronos! I can't stop! I'm too on edge!)

I panic; I feel like biting my fingers out!

+_Calm down! You have rehearsed this with everyone almost ten times on this morning alone, just calm down now, or you really will mess up later today!_+

(Easy for you to say! You're not playing in front of over ten thousand people!)

+_About that, how exactly are people going to enjoy the wedding? I doubt a few dozen people are going to be heard throughout the capital for such a big event. _+

(I thought you were there. It's because-)

"Knoll! There you are!"

I turn around. "Alkoni! Hey! What do you need?" I greet my old friend.

"I need you to test the Voice Amplifier Device, or V.A.D. for short, this time. The Anna(s) were nice enough to give me a few pointers in my design." Alkoni leads me back outside to the royal gardens and to the stage where the choir was supposed to be stationed.

And on the front of the stage there was a piano. A piano I was going to play on. And just a little to the side of the seat was a microphone.

+_A microphone here?_+

(Chronos, don't you remember? Alkoni called Chrom and wanted to try out some new inventions for the wedding. Weren't you there when I realized Alkoni and his men were bringing in speakers, wires and microphones? But Alkoni keeps calling it a Vad.)

Alkoni lead me to one of the main microphones and adjusted it a little. "OK… try it…"

I walk over and flip the switch.

"**TESTING, TESTING, 1, 2, 3!**" My voice projected throughout the city.

"Lady Naga!? Why do you sound like a man?!"

"Larry, we keep telling you, it's one of the new gadgets!"

"Maybe those are the new lottery numbers!"

I hear the civilians shouting over from the street and I turn the mic back off.

"Knoll, how did you know where to flip the switch for the on and off? In fact, I was just about to tell you how it would work, how did you know how to use the V.A.D. so well?" Alkoni asks me.

Oops. "…D-din't you-uh use this a while back?" I stutter remembering that he activated this a while back.

"Oh yes. I didn't expect people to panic like that, even some of the royal guards and Shepherds were shocked from the initial testing…" Alkoni looked down in shame.

"Well- I saw how you used it!" I try to make the excuse.

"Where? I didn't see you during the set up…" He looks at me questioningly.

"I was… watching… from the windows!" Yes! "I was panicking over my part in the wedding and I happened to see you work the mike from there!"

He seems to understand. "Oh. I- wait… what's a mike?"

Crap! I didn't notice! "I mean VAD!" I quickly correct. "Sorry, I'm just on edge. I've been tense since yesterday."

"Oh don't worry; I think you'll do great! But I really never expected you to be musician…" Alkoni says.

"Well I was! But I didn't expect Captain and Lucile to both agree and put me in charge of music! But expectations can be shattered can't they!?" I yell.

+_Knoll! Seriously, calm down!_+

"Knoll, like I said, you'll do great! Don't worry about it. So breathe in… and breathe out…" Alkoni breathes with me to help calm me down.

"Yeah… I feel a little better… I'm going to try and find the others now… and just try to make sure everything is in place soon…"

I walk out and go back in the castle. Heading through lots of servants preparing everything, I end up finding the practice music room. I enter it and find three people waiting with a lot of the royal orchestra.

"Knoll! There you are!" Cordelia said as she came over with a harp.

"Sorry guys… I needed to step out. I'm just tense like crazy! Oh the pressure…"

"Knoll, don't be like that." Stahl comes over with his harp. "The music we practiced was simply melodious! No matter how much we played it, it was just as beautiful as the first time we heard you play it for us!"

Cordelia nods in agreement. "The entire orchestra gave you a stand ovation after each song you played! We are more afraid that we would mess up songs you played brilliantly! If Captain Philia were still here, you would easily place as her equal in music!"

(Yeah… Chronos? I wanted to ask you about that. Why did they like the songs so much? I know they were good, but I didn't expect people to love it so…)

+_Believe it or not Knoll, your world easily has the best music in all of creation. Any good song there is a master piece here or wherever you go; it gives you something to be proud of in a world that seems to suck in politics and economy and pretty much everything else. (No Offense.) Though your world's most recent popular music has been rather questionable…_+

Stahl starts talking now. "No, you two are great! If anyone should be worried, it's me! Both you and Knoll can memorize and play such wonderful music and play it by memory no less! I had to practice even harder to make sure this sounded right!"

We then hear a voice come over and say, "I just hope my dancing is even good enough for this…" Olivia said. "I know that I'm not dancing in the actual wedding, but in the other music events…"

I can't help but feel stupid that so many of them being scared. I mean- I was scared too but I always thought these guys were great! Guess this means we all have our flaws… yeesh, I'm an idiot.

"OK, OK, OK guys." I get their attention. "Look, we all seem to have faith in each other, but not ourselves. So let's borrow a little bit of that trust from each other and put it on ourselves. And if worse does come, I'll take all the blame."

"Knoll… You're right, we have been lacking with our own self doubt and we should trust ourselves like we do to others, but you aren't going to take blame alone if one of us fails." Cordelia says.

"Alright then let's be fair: We all take blame for one person's mistake alright? United we stand united we fall?" I say.

Everyone looks at me weird. Stahl points something out to me. "United we stand, united we fall?"

Wow, I've been slipping a lot. "Oh, sorry that's an expression from where I come from. We stay together even in defeat- something similar to that meaning."

Everyone gets it with them all saying "Ahh…" at the same time.

The door opens again and we all see who came in.

"There he his!/Knoll!" a bunch of boys come running up to me dressed in the fanciest clothes they could afford.

"Hey guys!" I recognize them from Vaike's home town! And… "Bubba? What are you doing here?" Suddenly more kids come out and those were the kids from Katako Village!?

"Whoa there kiddos! Make sure to calm down! I have to admit Loony: you have a way with the kids."

I look back and see both Gaius and Vaike by the door wearing some very fancy clothes. Gaius cleaned up very nicely from what he usually wears, though he had to keep some sweets into what appears to be a front pocket. Even Vaike looks great when he is well groomed! I barely recognize him if it wasn't for his crazy smile.

"Knoll!" I spot Hego call me over among the kids. "Good luck out there! The Teach said you were a great singer!" All the other kids start talking out as well.

"Wow, aren't you mister childhood hero?"

No way… "Sagit? Is that you!?" I haven't seen him since we left Regna Ferox to get to Gangrel!

I head to him then we shake hands and I spot a few people behind him.

"Hi, Knoll!"

Will the surprises stop anytime today?! "Maci! How are you doing?! You're looking much healthier now!" I spot her looking really cute and she is holding hands with Fortuna… Wow…

I fake a cough and I turn back to my senses. "Fortuna, where is Muriel?"

Oh wow she's beautiful. "She is outside trying to taste the tea… Poor girl, though her dog seems to be keeping her in check." I look over to her hair where I recognize that flower comb in her hair.

"Bark!"

"Yeesh! Guys, this is the music room! Not a nursery!" I joke to the new people who come in.

Gregor, Nowi, and Streaky come in next. Nowi pouts and starts to whine a little. "Hey! I'm older than you all combined!"

All of the adults seem to laugh at that while the kids seem to be talking to each other.

I just can't believe almost everyone I met in this adventure has come to meet me! Though Zeta platoon and Lala are two things I'm not quite proud of…

I shout out to the room, "Alright everyone! We musicians have some last minute practice to go over! So the kids can go back out side and play somewhere- But don't any of you dare get dirty! You wouldn't want your parents stressed over your formal wear. While the rest of your chaperones, please make sure they stay clean and occupied until the wedding starts!"

"K!" some of the kids cheer and they all run out, even Nowi runs out with them. All chaperones all try to catch up to the crowd of kids. I move over to Streaky who stayed behind.

"Keep an eye on Nowi for me please." I pat her in the head and she goes off and follows everyone.

I turn back to the musicians and I spot my guitar. I pick it up and start. "Alright guys! From sequence one! ~A one, a two, and a one-two-three!"

* * *

…

Alright then. It's the wedding now and I am so tense right now. We are having the wedding out here in the royal garden. (Which by the way is really huge.) I check the guitar for this first part. I've been practicing for a while even without the magic Chronos has been helping me with.

A bit on that: Chronos explained to me that the magic doesn't make me play songs amazingly. It's a magic that brings out a hidden talent out of a person. So all those times I played this thing, was technically a side of me I never knew I had. I tried to play on a different guitar and on another music sheet on a song I didn't know and I played it well. I kind of feel like I was cheated out of the fun of learning the guitar myself, though… Maybe if I go home, I could ask Chronos to remove this magic and I can learn how to play music by myself…

On a slightly frustrating note: all of the children got dirty even Nowi and Streaky. Now all the kids stick out like a sore thumb here after I specifically told them to not to get dirty. When I say to not get dirt on them that freaking doesn't mean go wrestle in the mud! Still, they are kids though so it's kinda forgiven.

Right now, all I'm doing is waiting for the signal to pop up so we can start the first song for the bride. Everyone else like Chrom, Frederick, and etc all walked in already. The music was planned to start playing when Lucile comes.

+_Knoll! Over there! Anna is giving the signal!_+

What?! Thanks Chronos! I motion to everyone and I head to the mike/vad.

[Music that will be played in story: I Won't Let Go - Rascal Flatts]

_It's like a storm…  
That cuts a path…  
It breaks your will…  
It feels like that…_

I take a quick look at the bride. Everyone once sitting down stood up and everyone turned their gaze to her. Wow, she is beautiful. No way… did she style her hair to look like the default setting?! It's even white! Not to mention that dress looks beautiful! It is way more decorated than the Bride Class. Its way more white and less see through-glowy!

_You think you're lost…_  
_But you're not lost… on your own…_  
_You're not alone…_

I start stringing the guitar. Lucile is walked down the aisle by the famous "Nana" Kena a smile wide on her face as she escorts a beautiful woman down the aisle.

_I will stand by you…  
I will help you through…  
When you've done all you can do…  
If you can't cope…  
I will dry your eyes…  
I will fight your fight…  
I will hold you tight…  
And I won't let go…_

I take a quick glance to Chrom, who seems both shocked and nervous at the same time.

_It hurts my heart…_  
_To see you cry…_  
_I know it's dark…_  
_This part of life…_  
_Oh it finds us all… (Finds us all…)_  
_And we're too small…_  
_To stop the rain…_  
_Oh but when it rains…_

Something catches the corner of my eye as I look of in the very far side of the garden. Is that Lucile? But she's here! Then who is wearing her cloak!?

_I will stand by you  
I will help you through  
When you've done all you can do  
And you can't cope  
I will dry your eyes  
I will fight your fight  
I will hold you tight_

I can't spot that person anymore… Who could it have- no… it couldn't have been…

+_Knoll! Focus!_+

_And I won't let you fall_  
_Don't be afraid to fall_  
_I'm right here to catch you_  
_I won't let you down_  
_It won't get you down_  
_Your gonna make it_  
_Yea I know you can make it_

_Cause I will stand by you  
I will help you through  
When you've done all you can do  
And you can't cope (you can't cope!)  
And I will dry your eyes  
I will fight your fight  
I will hold you tight  
And I won't let…go…!(go…)  
Oh I'm gonna hold you  
And I won't let go…_

_Won't let you go…  
No I won't…_

Lucile is at the end; I think it the song ended at the right time when she ended. The bride and the groom both face each other.

I quickly take a look back to where I thought I saw another Lucile.

+_Hey… I think you should try to focus on this subject a little later._+

I look back to the main event and I see the main Bishop of Naga. Archbishop, Lonair. (For a priest, he is pretty down to earth… or whatever planet this is called…)

Everyone sits back down as Lonair tries to motion everyone to sit down.

Lonair begins, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness a beautiful moment in our history. –And enough of the free food and drinks to feed the entire country."

I hear chuckles among the crowd and I see Flavia and Basilio both laughing at the joke. Wait- did Father Lonair reference them? HA! That's so witty! I want Father Lonair to do my masses now!

Lonair coughs and continues on, "We are also here to witness the joining of two amazing people, to whom without, we would not all be here; enjoying this day. Our crowned Prince Chrom, and the lovely and just as brilliant tactician Lucile. And it just so happens these people have promised not to only care for another as war brothers, but to love one another as one." He turns his attention to the two mentioned. "Marriage itself can be quite the battlefield. It's not about who wins or who losses, it' about fighting against all struggles that are thrown at you and coming out on the top."

The bride and groom both nod understanding what it would truly mean to be wed. They look at each other as Lonair begins, "Do you, Chrom, accept Lucile as your lawfully wedded wife? To care for her in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do." Chrom smiles says it with a lot of love in his eyes.

Lonair nodded. "And do you, Lucile, accept Chrom as your Lawfully wedded husband? To care for him in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Lucile chuckles for a moment before looking to Chrom "… Hell yes!"

*Whistles and cheers from the crowd.*

"Hahaha!" Lonair laughs. "She's quite the keeper." Lonair nudged to Chrom who only chuckled and blushed.

A little boy came up to them. He was the royal ring bearer- and he was covered in mud…

I quickly glance and glare at both Streaky and Nowi. They both look away at my gaze.

Despite the little boy being in dirty, the rings were untouched and still clean- thank god!

They took the rings slowly and the little boy ran back to his seat which he now seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.

Chrom and Lucile put the rings on each other and say their own vows. First Chrom said his before he put on the ring.

"I vow to make sure the rest of your life is memorable and filled with wonderful moments. I vow to protect and love you with everything that I am and more. I vow to honor your word and to make sure I wait for you patiently instead of accidently barging in on awkward moments."

Woo! *Whistles!* another cheer of whistles and applause is heard followed by nervous chuckling from the two lovebirds.

With that Chrom put on the ring for Lucile and it was the brides turn to speak.

"I vow to make sure you don't break as many things you're not supposed to…" Lucile starts off with a smirk. "But I also vow to care for you as well as to be part of a greater whole and to take care of the new family I was brought into."

And Lucile placed the ring on Chrom's finger.

Father Lonair speaks out, "And with that, I now pronounce you to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

That's the next signal! I signal the royal orchestra the next song.

{Recommended Music- My Wish by Rascal Flatts]

**Yes, the same band; they are awesome.**

**"My Wish"**

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,  
And each road leads you where you want to go,  
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,  
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.  
And if one door opens to another door closed,  
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,  
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,  
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,  
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,  
You never need to carry more than you can hold,  
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,  
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,  
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,  
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,  
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,  
And you help somebody every chance you get,  
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,  
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,  
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,  
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,  
You never need to carry more than you can hold,  
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,  
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,  
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,  
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,  
You never need to carry more than you can hold,  
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,  
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,  
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish  
I hope you know somebody loves you  
May all your dreams stay big.

Chrom and Lucile leave the ceremony. It will be a while before we can set up the reception party… but right now…

"Hey, guys good job!" I yell out to the others. "Get ready and setup for the reception party! I'll follow soon; there is something I need to check!" I jump off and bring my guitar, I leave the palace and I try to look around.

There are too many people out here screaming and cheering! Where was that!? I think that person went…

+_I'll guide you over to the direction I think the person went. That way, quickly!_+

(Thanks Chronos!)

+_I'm just as curious if it's who you think it is! Activate your arua! You won't catch up otherwise!_+

Roger!

I get led over to almost the outside limits of the city until I see the person I'm looking for!

"Wait! Please stop!"

The person in the cloak stops and turns their head. I finally stop and start catching my breath.

"You… are you by any chance…" I look around quickly around and I see no one nearby. I breathe in one more time and ask the question.

"Are you Lucile's mother?"

She just stands still a while before nodding. "Yes… It's been so long since I've seen her… And she is so beautiful… Oh, I'm so happy for her…" She still wears the hood on, so I can't see what she really looks like.

Oh my- "I- I don't know why, but maybe… you should meet her. I'm sure she would love to know who she really was." I know I'm crazy curious.

…

She is silent again. But she looks to me again. "It's better this way… I… I only caused her grief before she was taken in by such wonderful people. I have never seen her so happy… Please take care of her…" She bows and begins to walk away.

"Wait!" What did she mean by that? "What happened between the two of you?"

"… It wasn't us, it was me." She says and holds her hands close to her chest. She doesn't turn back but she says one more thing. "I loved your music. It was beautiful; I will never forget it. And Please… don't say anything about this…" She heads off in the empty road and I just stand and watch her leave.

What was that all about?

+_The sad thing is that we might never know._+

(Still, it makes me wonder: Grima is the reason why the avatar, or for here Lucile, lost their memories. But it never explains why she was a little beyond South town in the first place. Why did she only have weapons and not much else? [Besides her clothes.] Not even some kind of ring, locket, or a list of groceries? That hints to where she could have come from before all of this. And now, it seems like there was something rather interesting before the events of the game even began.)

+_…Hmm… I-I seem to remember something…_+

(Remember? I thought you purposely sealed your memory?)

+_I did, but… I just feel sad for some reason when I saw her leave. I don't know why._+

(Kinda makes me wonder what she does with the rest of her life and what is her story anyway?)

+_…Let's go back Knoll. You still have a few more jobs to do for the rest of the day._+

I take one last look at the empty road before going back. I can't help but feel pity, at least for this mother of the Avatar.

* * *

[Yep, this chapter is going to have a lot of music. This time: Nothin On You + Hey Soul Sister (ft. AHMIR) w/ lyrics]

{Knoll}

beautiful girls all over the world  
I could be chasing but my time would be wasted  
they got nothin' on you baby  
nothin' on you baby (Yeah…)  
{New singers}  
Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains  
I knew I wouldn't forget you, and so I went and let you blow my mind  
Your sweet moon beam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream  
I knew when we collided, you're the one I have decided who's one of my kind  
{Knoll}  
beautiful girls all over the world  
I could be chasing but my time would be wasted

they got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
they might say hi (HI!) and I might say hey (Hey!)  
but you shouldn't worry about what they say  
cause they got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
{New singers}  
Just in time, (Just in time!) I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me (One track mine like me…)  
You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny (Can't deny…)  
Listen!- I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest (ahhh…)  
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna, and I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind.  
{Knoll}  
beautiful girls all over the world  
i could be chasing but my time would be wasted  
they got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)

they might say hi (Hi!) and I might say hey (Hey!)  
but you shouldn't worry about what they say  
cause they got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)

Hey soul sister, ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, the way you move ain't fair, you know!  
Hey soul sister, I don't want to miss a single thing you do..

beautiful girls all over the world  
I could be chasing but my time would be wasted  
they got nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
nothin' on you baby (Oh oh oh…)  
they might say hi and I might say hey  
but you shouldn't worry about what they say  
cause they got nothin' on you baby…  
nothin' on you baby…

*Loud Applause!*

The crowd really enjoyed that one and I really had to thank these guys! The people who just sang with me on this song just so happened to be a Fire Emblem version of one of my favorite Youtube band: AHMIR! They even sound like them too! Funny, I met these guys when Chronos told me to talk a walk in town to soothe myself.

I take a quick look at the surrounding area. First off, it's already late at night and that I'm on a unique stage in the center of the main plaza of Ylisse. We basically became the music entertainment for everyone to dance this night.

"Great job guys!" I say to the guys.

"Anytime, Knoll" The Fire Emblem equivalent of Mr. Jones says.

"Take five for the next play, I hear Alkoni will play some- kind of "recorded" music while we prepare the upcoming slow song."

"Yeah… how does that work? And I still don't know what stereo and radio are." Some of them say.

"Uh- I told you guys! Some of the words were made up for the sake of rhyming! They mean nothing! And Alkoni knows the science of his new sound replaying machine…" I try to excuse.

"Well OK." They agree with me.

I take this time to look around. In one of the tables, I spot Father Lonair and Khan Basilio… arm wrestling?! And did Lonair win? Wait, I think I can hear them from here…

"You cheated!" Basilio shouts there are a few drinks near him so I might say he is a little drunk.

Father Lonair simply laughs and says out loud, "Of course I cheated! That's why I was able to win! *hic*"

"You clever dastard…" Basilio says with a smile.

I chuckle a little at that conversation and I continue to look around. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves with others and some people on the dance floor are usually people who are getting close. I think I can spot who the other pairs are from this dance. I know Streaky is somewhere near the tables where Lonair, Kena, Basilio, and Flavia were.

Well things seem rather fun- wait is that Fortuna in the dance floor? And is she dancing with someone else!?

What the- No fair! I wanted to dance with her! Stupid singing!

"Yo, Knoll? You seem upset." Mr. Jones notes.

"Sorry… Well… I think the girl I like is dancing with someone else…"

"Ooh! Harsh! Who is she?"

I point over and he seems to smile for some reason.

"Hey. I think it's still possible for you to get that last dance with her…"

I brighten up at that. "What? How!?"

"Hey guys!" Jones calls over the others. "Our friend Knoll here needs our help. Knoll? Think you can get your wolf friend here?"

* * *

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

Fortuna sighs after the dancing is done.

"What's wrong my lady? Wish for us to dance once more?" The dude that looks like a noble asks in an almost egotistic manner.

"Umm… No thank you, I'll just be going back to the tables" Fortuna tries to leave, but the man grabs her wrist.

"What?! Women would swoon over me when I would ask them to dance again! You should be grateful that I count-"

"BarK!"

*Chomp!*

"AAAH!"

Streaky came out of nowhere and bit the Count on his butt. The count tried to move but…

*Riiiip!*

"What!? Why, you stupid mutt! Come back here!" The count had to run after Streaky with a huge hole in his pants that showed his under garments.

Fortuna was pleasantly surprised at this. "…Streaky?" she wondered.

"Oh, no. Bad girl. Don't do that to strangers." A rather monotonous and familiar voice said.

Fortuna turned and saw Knoll smiling at her and paying little attention to the chaos his friendly wolf was doing.

Fortuna smirked and said, "Sir Knoll, what brings you off the music stage at this moment in time?" She says a bit sarcastically.

Knoll only smiles wide and bows, but he returns her tone. "Well Lady Fortuna, there was no way that a gentleman such as myself, would let such a beautiful lady dance all alone." Knoll extends a hand out. "May I have this next dance?"

Fortuna chuckles. "Well then Sir Knoll, I fear if I were to say no, you would scheme against me…as you did with my former dancer…" She says but she takes Knoll's hand.

"Never on my life." Knoll says as he leads her back into the dance floor.

As if on cue, when the two got on the dance floor, AHMIR started playing a beautiful song.

[This time, I recommend: Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up (Official Music Cover) by AHMIR]

The music starts slow and Knoll and Fortuna slowly start to dance.

Fortuna slowly chuckles, "I can't believe you did that."

Knoll shrugs, "Well, to be honest you didn't seem to look like you were enjoying it…"

"Hmm? How perceptive… Thank you for that."

"No need. I was a bit curious to see you in a mood where you weren't trying to hurt me."

"Well… I could hurt you know if that is what you wish?" Fortuna smiles playfully.

"No-no. I'm good right now."

For a while they just stay quiet; after Knoll does one twirl for Fortuna, the two come close into an embrace.

"Knoll…" Fortuna says… "I-…I'm curious. Just who are you?"

"…" Knoll stays silent for a moment. "Huh… Let me try to start from the beginning. I came from a family of… scholars or engineers, you know people who work on building structures?"

Fortuna nods.

"Both my mother and my father were Engineers and a Scholar. I had two sisters, one younger and one older. Both of them were naturally talented, but me? I was considered smart in school, but that was because my parents kept teaching me even when I wasn't in a school. They wanted me to become a successful scholar so that I can have a stable job and a stable normal life. So I worked a little harder than my sisters… And for a while, I did what I was told. Just trying to study, just trying to have a stable normal life…"

Fortuna listened intently. "…Then what?"

Knoll smiled and continued. "Against my own wishes, I was sent here to the Haildom of Ylisse by someone I originally didn't get along with. I don't know how he did it, but he somehow stranded me here, I wandered for a while then I met with Chrom and the others, the rest is history."

"So… you didn't like being here?"

"…At first, I heard of this place. It was beautiful and they kept saying this place was an experience like no other, so I was initially surprised when I first came here, but… Then I joined the Shepherds and started throwing myself into crazy life and death situations. It was scary, tiring, and not to mention horrible! … But then I started to get used to it… even… I think I've come to love it…" Knoll tries to say. "So in some sick and deluded way, this crazy job was just meant for me." He jokes and Fortuna laughs.

"… If you're going to be honest, I guess I will to be too…" Fortuna says and she faces Knoll.

"My real name isn't Fortuna." She says.

"It's not? But-"

Fortuna cuts him off by putting a finger on his mouth. "My real name is Nanalie."

Knolls eyes widen at that name he recognizes. "Nanalie!?"

Fortuna just blushes. "I-I admit I changed my name when I was young. I used to live in an old village with my sister and grandfather… but…"

Fortuna tells Knoll her tale, how she offered up to be the daughter of some noble to save her sister.

"… And the saddest part is… When the doctor finally agreed *sob* My home was attacked by bandits… *Sob*. My grandpa and my sister died anyway…" Fortuna and Knoll stop dancing for a minute and Fortuna just stays in Knoll's embrace burying her head. "From-from then on… I didn't want to be called Nanalie because it reminded me to much about what happened… This flower on my comb is the last thing I have from my home… *Sob*"

Knoll suddenly realized all of the hints with Fortuna that seemed to make her so familiar. She was the girl Knoll met when Lala sent him to the past! Knoll snapped back and remembered that Lalamir was now happy.

With that knowledge, Knoll said something to Fortuna. "Fortuna, listen to me! None of it was your fault!" He faces her with some tears in her eyes. "I-I may not know your old family… but I know that they would want you to be happy and they know you didn't mean for any of that to happen them. I know that they still love you and that they are still watching over you."

"…T-thank you… Thank you, Knoll." Fortuna wipes her eyes and just looks into Knoll's eyes.

They don't seem to break away from each other's eyes. Knoll tries to say something, "For- Fortuna? I- uh… are you feeling better now?"

"…I-I will be…" both of them lean in closer… "In a second…"

They both close their eyes and kiss. Both of them oblivious to the fact the dancing already stopped and people were applauding the musicians for all the wonderful music. But they were still in that same embrace, kissing, as if the moment would last forever.

* * *

**I am sorry if the romance seemed awkward. I just don't know how to write romance! (yet) Worse of all I was in a hurry again so sorry for the grammar mistakes!**

**Huge reference to AHMIR on Youtube! Go watch one of their videos/ any!**

**But now it's the start of one the hardest to write Arcs yet!**

**It's going hectic!**

**Good luck everyone! I'm so gunna need that…**

_Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.__  
__Lao Tzu_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	28. Phase 2 Update 8 (WARNING!)

PHASE 2 UPDATE #8

…

…

…

UNKNOWN TEMPO- SPACIAL ERROR DETECTED!

WARNING! WARNING!

THREAT OF FILE COLLAPSE EMINENT!

WARNING!

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

The scene is set in a mine. Deep within the cave, are crystals of black and white as far as the eye can see. And deeper within the mine wires and coils can be seen. And at the deepest part of the cave, where the last of the mining equipment have been left to rot, there lays two enormous boulders in a hallow cavern surrounded by a form of steam punk machinery.

One of the boulders is seen to be pure white, but with odd black markings on it. The other is a pure black boulder with white markings on it.

There are approximately five people nearby the machinery and the two boulders. Only three of them are working on the machines.

One of the men working on the top of one of the machines is a man in his late forties, wearing odd Victorian like scientist clothes and twisting nut and blots with his wrench. "… Arcane, I need you to check the pressure of the other electric coil. See if it's tight enough on the other side. Maybe we'll finally get somewhere after all these setbacks."

A hooded sage in purple, who was seen below the first man, suddenly teleports to the opposite boulder's coil machine and opens up a hatch.

{**Imagine a hooded sage like the black coats from KH 2**}

The hooded sage responds over. "It's tightened over here, Mr. Samtho."

"I prefer Sonedi, Arcane, Mr. Samtho was my father." Sonedi said as he reached for a tool box. "… Where is my electric connection cable?"

"It was the small springy looking thing, right?" A man comes over and gives the device to Sonedi. On the blond hero's shoulder, was a monkey looking down in shame. "Sorry about that Prof., Chip here took the thing and wanted to play with it. Came back here when I saw him take it."

"Thank you, Primal. Now I just need to connect the magnetic disruption frequency nexus on both machines…"

"… What?" Both Primal and Chip till their heads.

"Don't worry, Arcane! Hand the black cable at the top of the machine to Phase. And Phase, try to connect that cable to the empty slot on this machine here!" Sonedi instructed.

A black dressed trickster came up and received the cable from Arcane he nimbly leaped on the boulders and wires and came over to connect the wires. As he did, the machines all around the two boulders started to light up.

"Haha! Yes!" Sonedi yelled and went down. Primal and Phase both followed him down.

"Good Job Professor, I will try to find the Benefactor and inform him of this." A pink haired female Paladin said this to Sonedi. She got ready and climbed up on a brown horse.

"No need, Jewel. We are back."

They all gathered and looked at the direction where the voice came. Another group of five, lead by a man dressed in a white tuxedo with a white top hat, came in.

"Good job, Sonedi." The Benefactor himself said to the inventor. "Assassins, fall in line for a moment."

The first four lined up with the newest four. The newest four consisted of a brown clothed Sword Master, A huge and buff Warrior at least seven feet tall and wearing his helm, a beautiful blonde war clerk, with eyes that almost seem to be in a daze, and another man wearing a hooded cloak who seemed to be friends with the hooded sage.

The Benefactor addressed them. "Mr. Sonedi, just to make sure, you already met the first group in our little project here. Phase, the trickster; Primal, the Hero; Jewel, the paladin; and Arcane, the sage." He then motioned to the other half of the line. "These people are also going to be joining us for this project: The sword master, Gamble, be careful about taking bets with this man. (Gamble:Haha!) The buff warrior is Mule, he was our second physically strongest Assassin until Thayer passed away. (Mule: Hello man smaller than me…) The other hooded man is, Magus. Well- Hmm… either ask him yourself who he is or Arcane, the two are good friends. And the last one has two names which she goes by, but it's best if you call her Splice. These people will be our body guards should worst case scenario happen."

The Benefactor finished the introduction to Sonedi.

Sonedi seemed rather curious. "Benefactor, if I may be so bold, what am I working on? You had Marvo break me out of Jail just to help with these mysterious machines then I get sent to a bit far out from most civilization and have your lac- employers assist me in making sure the machines work properly for these odd two boulders. I am just rather curious, what is all of this?" Marvo was glad that he caught himself from calling professional assassins _lackeys_.

The Benefactor looked at Sonedi then he looked at his Assassins. "You all are dismissed for now, just take a break here or patrol around if you would like." They all nod at his order and disperse. The Benefactor turns to Sonedi.

The Benefactor goes to Sonedi and wraps his arm over to Sonedi's far shoulder. He then leads them a bit away from the machinery. "Let me explain to you were exactly we are first. Before coming here with Adrenaline, did you by chance see any specific looking land marks?"

"… I was surprised really. From the sky, it looked like a perfect square on the top of a plateau. Like a mountain cut and shaped into a square at the cut area. On all four sides of the plateau, there were cities with their own distinct colors: blue for west, red for south, green for west, and brown for north. It almost looked like a work of art."

"This is the famous quad village. You know, people are saying where you can experience different exotic cultures just a several hour walk away?"

"Oh, you mean the famous four culture cities? The ones that name their homes after elements?" Sonedi recognizes.

"Yes, and we are in the rather wide plateau that divides all cities. You see Sonedi, there is an old folklore of this place: In ancient times, there was a fight: a fight between an unstoppable force and an unmovable object. Their fight caused collateral damages that make the entire wars of mankind look like a stubbed toe. Four powerful entities, which the towns represent, sealed away both destructive forces and it became this plateau. People say this entire landmass is a seal to keep both powerful forces suppressed."

Sonedi seemed confused, "Are you trying to tell me those stories are real? I am man of science." He was skeptic.

"Heavens no!" The Benefactor said while moving his arm out to defend himself. "But science cannot deny that these boulders are both giving off a powerful energy source, even something different from magic…"

Both of them look back at the machinery. The Benefactor continues, "We were planning to harness this limitless energy for an up and coming project: Turning it into a weapon. I have a few blue prints myself that could use this type of energy."

"I see… The machines I was working on did seem capable of power storage. I thought they were unpowered backup generators or something…" Sonedi noted.

"Well then…" The Benefactor walked back. "Alright Everyone! It's time to start the process! Activate the machines!"

Sonedi marched to what appeared to be the main control of both machines. He started pressing buttons and the machines started humming in a loud noise.

"Everything looks stable!" Sonedi shouted. The Benefactor and the Assassins all stood behind Sonedi and watched.

The machines started zapping the boulders and it seemed like it was working. The storage chambers seemed to be gathering energy…

*BOOM! ZZT!*

One part of the control panel exploded and the machines suddenly started to put in more power!

"I've lost control! The stabilizers have been de balanced!" Sonedi shouted.

The machines continued to become louder and louder and everyone stepped back!

The lights were getting brighter and it looked like the two stones had electricity of their own forming between each other!

"The machines can't handle this much power! It's going to blow!" Sonedi yelled.

Everyone ducked behind at the boulders and prepared for the upcoming explosion.

**BBBBBOOOOOOMMMMMM!**

After the dust settled in, everyone slowly got out and couldn't see much because of the smoke still around.

"What's that humming noise?" Sonedi said as he tried to walk back first. "Is the machine still working?!"

"That's some crazy high quality work then…" Gamble said. But he looked to Mule. "Mule, you owe me a sandwich."

"OK…" Mule said as he fixed his helm back on the right side.

The Benefactor dusted himself off before looking towards the smoke. As the smoke died out, his eyes widened at the scene. "No…"

Everyone saw that the machine was still intact! But right between the two portals, was something huge and unseen before…

"Is…is that… Valm? Right above the Skies of Valm? Isn't that the city of Chon'sin right there!?" Sonedi yelled.

Some kind of huge clear window appeared between the two boulders. It showed Chon'sin's building and people.

"But that's all the way on Valm…" Jewel spoke.

The Benefactor went closer to the window.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Magus asked.

"A test. Maybe, just maybe…" Everyone watched as the leader put his hand through the odd window like thing… and his hand went through! A form of ripple appeared when he put his hand in, but the Benefactor went deeper by poking his head in!

Everyone watched as The Benefactor slowly came out.

"…Sir? What is it?"

…

Silence, for a while everything was silent, until the Benefactor suddenly pointed to Sonedi. 'The Controls! Check the controls!"

Sonedi panicked and almost tripped, but he quickly went to the controls. He started pressing the buttons, but as he did, the scenery changed! It looked like there was a war going on!

"What the- Is that King Gangrel leading the Ylisseans?!" Arcane screamed. The Window showed an image of Gangrel in front of a Ylissean banner and leading the charge against the Plegians.

"What is this magic?!" Everyone started to talk and panic, but the Benefactor took charge.

"Sonedi, the controls!"

Sonedi was so confused, but he continued trying to work the machine, this time, it showed the sky of an unknown town in the middle of nowhere.

The Benefactor stopped looking at the window and went back to everyone. Everyone else looked at their leader because it looked like he was about to do something very important.

He just said a few words.

"It's a portal."

Everyone stayed stunned at his words.

"This thing is a portal: it can go to anywhere, even other worlds…"

"What?!" Sonedi managed to scream.

"Do any of you remember the rumors of the Outrealms? That it's a gateway to other worlds? Other realities where things happened in our world that didn't happen here?"

"Isn't that another myth?" Sonedi gawks.

"No, not this time. What we just saw was a different world! Sonedi you have discovered one of the greatest inventions of all history! You have created a man-made Outrealm portal!" The Benefactor ran over and took over the controls.

The portal flashed with images as the Benefactor changed the machine.

"M-me?!" Sonedi was slowly getting it. "But it was your machine!"

"Which you fixed better than I had hoped." The Benefactor continued to change the machinery and slowly got to control how the portals were appearing.

"Wait! Is this even real!? What if this is some kind of trick!?" Sonedi yelled, still clinging to some skepticism. "There is no way that there would be another world-"

The Benefactor upped the power to the machine and another surge of power was released, the portal changed once more and in that portal was a wyvern rider right about to crash into them!

"WAAHH!"

Out from the portal came a female wyvern rider: She had her hair tied to a pony tail and her hair was dark brown, she seemed to have almost black eyes and she wore some blue framed glasses. And the uniform she was wearing looked weird. It looked more like a small male uniform because she wasn't wearing a skirt.

The girl and her wyvern panicked around and saw the group of people. "Wha- what am I- where is this place!?" she yelled.

The Benefactor looked to his employers. "Subdue her now!"

"Wait- what?!" The girl screamed, but Arcane suddenly warped right above her and kicked her off her wyvern. Arcane warped again and caught the girl from falling.

The wyvern roared and charged straight for Arcane, but a whip came out from nowhere and caught its tail.

"Mule!" Primal tossed his whip to Mule and Mule caught and pulled on it. He was able to pull the wyvern all the way to him. Mule then punched the wyvern as it flew towards him and knocked the wyvern out.

"What was that!?" Sonedi yelled as he ran to the side. "She came from nowhere!" on the other side of the machine he just saw empty air.

"Now do you believe in the other worlds theory?" The Benefactor said.

"Um, sir?" Arcane said. "What do we do with our otherworldly visitor?" He held the girl and motioned to the unconscious wyvern.

"Maybe we should put her back…" The Benefactor said. But the control machine sparked again causing the portal to change once more. From the sky, it showed some random forest at the ground level this time.

Everyone just stared at the realization that they may have stranded someone from another world.

…

"Umm, keep her chained up or something. Sonedi and I will try to manage how to work the portals better…" The Benefactor says.

Everyone tries to get to that but-

"What the- What am I doing in cave!?"

Everyone looked back and saw a new man who seemed to come out from the portal. He was an orange clothed Sword Master he had short, dirty colored blond hair, with green eyes. With him was a shiny and familiar looking gold blade.

"What the Hell? The forest is right there! What is- Krrf!" Arcane appeared once more and hit a pressure point and knocked the man out cold.

"Quick, put that man back in his world!" They all yelled and Arcane was about to, until the machine turned the portal to a volcano.

"STOP!" They all yelled preventing Arcane from throwing the man into the lava.

"Sonedi, turn off the machine!" The Benefactor called him over and they both pressed a few buttons rapidly. The machine powered down and the portal vanished.

"… Put those people somewhere for the time being while Sonedi and I figure something out!"

Jewel, Mule, and Arcane brought the three new wanderers into a different part of the cave.

"Alright, let's fix the machine first then we will put it on." Sonedi said. He took a panel off and tried to work on the control panel.

The Benefactor held his chin and looked to the two boulders… "It's out of control…"

"You're telling me?" Sonedi said while trying to fix the control panel.

"No, something else doesn't feel right… The machine may have been accidently made into some kind of portal machine. But the powers from the boulders seem to be fluctuating… Unless we properly control the power from the boulders, I don't see us fixing this problem any time soon." The Benefactor said. "We might need to readjust the coils."

"By the way, why did you have your Assassins knock them out? Why didn't we try to explain this all to them?" Sonedi asked.

"Tell them what? That we are an underground organization bent on overthrowing the rule of hierarchy and you are an inventor who escaped from jail for being charged of being an indecent human being? And that we were attempting to use the power of these boulders to help arm ourselves for our obviously violent revolution?" The Benefactor stated.

"… Good point." Sonedi said. "But we can't just keep them on lock up… can we?"

"They are in an unknown world… where nobody knows or can find them… It would be cruel to kill them, but if we can't control this portal…" The Benefactor said. "Jewel, Phase I need you both to check the machines. If something is broken there should be something in the back that we left over as spare."

The two went on the coils and checked it out.

"Sonedi, for now, just lead them in fixing this. I… need to clear my head a little…" The Benefactor goes off by himself.

We follow the Benefactor who seems to be walking in the area where there are black and white crystals that fill the cave. The crystals all seem to shine bright.

"… Other worlds… This opens up more possibilities… but…" The Benefactor looks in a random direction as if he could see someone.

"Without a doubt… **He** must have sensed this…"

* * *

+_KNOLL!_ _WE NEED TO GO, NOW!_+

(Oww… can't I eat a sandwich in peace?)

Knoll said as he put down his food on his plate. The scene shows him alone with Streaky and in a fairly empty restaurant.

+_The Interferer has finally made a move! We need to go now! There is something in the air, I can feel it!_+

(Can I not?)

+_WHAT DO YOU MEAN "NOT"?!_+

Knoll clutched his head and Streaky peeked her head over to her friend.

(Oww… again! Look can it at least wait a week? I have finally been given a sick day! Or in this case a sick week! After the work I did in the wedding, Chrom and Lucile gave me permission to go on a paid vacation for a week! And just before I left, I saw everyone working over time because some idiotic bandits thought they could take advantage of the Honeymoon period of the new King and Queen. So when I get back, I won't have a vacation like this in a while. Maybe the world can wait for a few days because there is no way that I am missing this vaca-)

=Later=

"So sir? Where are ya heading?" A man driving a caravan asked.

"Take me to Wind City." Knoll said rather depressingly. He and Streaky were riding in the caravan.

"Sure thing- hiya!" The driver made his horses go faster.

+_Try and abandon your role as a Restorer again, go ahead, I dare you…_+

Knoll only sighed from Chronos' threat with apathy. He just looked to the pretty blue sky and thought:

(I bet the bad guys don't have this type of bad luck…)

* * *

"Oh, I am having the unluckiest day in my life right now…" The Benefactor said as he rubbed his head.

Unfortunately for the Benefactor, the machine had somehow started itself back up. Sonedi was trying his best to terminate some of the controls but it wasn't working. The Portal was wildly changing areas.

"I have no choice but to reconnect some of the power connectors! At least that way I can stabilize the energy!" Sonedi yelled.

"Do it!" The Benefactor yelled back.

When Sonedi did what he said he was going to do, the machine looked like it was gaining more energy! The Portals started moving even faster!

"Not again! Take Cover!" Everyone ducked and covered.

**EXPLOSION!**

After this explosion, The Benefactor and the rest of them noticed that the machine was still intact, but the portal was finally closed.

"Sir?" Primal said as he pointed at the floor.

There were now five people lying unconscious on the floor.

The first one looked to be some oddly dressed war clerk, but there was a sword attached to him as well as an odd looking tome. He was fairly tall and he had blonde hair that reached his neck. His face showed that he had some kind of scar on his right eye.

The next one was another beautiful young woman with dirty blond hair who was closely holding a little girl with greenish blue hair. She had a beautiful sword with her and had a bow attached with her.

"Wait, that little girl…" Magus said as he walked over.

"What is it Magus?" Arcane asked.

"…Maybe later…" Magus said.

"Hey! That guy over there… doesn't he look a little like Queen Lucile?" Gamble said as he walked over to someone that looked suspiciously like a default male avatar with brown hair. "Same coat and stuff. Maybe all Plegians just wear this type of cloak." He said.

"Curious, maybe it's another version of the new Queen?" The Benefactor said.

They all looked at the last person. He was an assassin wearing all black and had a purple and had grayish-white hair in a pony tail. And just to the little side of him was a mask that had fangs and horns on the surface. He also had another unique looking blade.

"The last one looks pretty intimidating, nah I take that back. I think he is trying too hard to be tough looking." Gamble said as he walked over. He took one step closer then quickly jumped back and avoided a slash from his blade!

"One of them was awake!?" Sonedi yelled. Both Primal and Jewel went in front of Sonedi to protect the only one who couldn't fight.

"Now, where the hell am I?" The Assassin said with black eyes.

"A cave, Mr. Sunshine." Gamble said as he dusted himself off.

"Oh, you have balls for talking to me like that. Do you even know who I am!? I am the Son of Bane!" The Assassin claimed.

Gamble only smiled and took out what looked to be a green double blade.

{**Think of a sword version of Darth Maul's double light saber.**}

"Don't know and don't care who that is! All I see is some punk trying too hard to look tough. What? Did mommy and daddy not love you enough?" Gamble mocked. He motioned to his allies not to help him in this fight.

"Oh! I am so going to enjoy killing you!" The Assassin said as he put on his mask.

"Gamble, you do realize what would happen if you underestimate your enemy, correct?" The Benefactor asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm aware." Gamble takes his position and taunts his opponent.

The Assassin charged at Gamble fiercely trying to cut him in half. And Gamble returned in kind. The battle was fierce and quick.

Both seemed to be equals until the Assassin was able to stab Gamble on his left arm.

"HA!" The Assassin said, but when he looked to Gamble he didn't seem at all phased. Gamble smiled then Sparta-kicked the Assassin in the stomach and sent him flying back.

"What's the matter? I thought you were going to kill me? I admit your good, but it's clear you seem to be the type that has never fought against someone on your own level!" Gamble said as he ignored the pain in his hand and re positioned himself.

"How dare you look down on me! I am a demon of Grima! Feel the wrath of Kishin!" The Assassin calling himself Kinshin charged again. This time, this Kishin, was able to choke Gamble on his neck. Slowly it looked like the life was leaving from Gamble's eye.

Kinshin smiled wide. "Now die-Gah!"

It looks like Gamble wasn't out yet. He quickly grabbed both of his opponent's hand hard; he was able to remove them off him in the distraction of pain and Gamble head butted the Assassin on his forehead. Gamble followed it up by kicking him in the stomach once more and then punching him away.

"*Huff* You- *Huff* you don't know who **I am**! I am Gamble of the Forty Assassins Syndacate! I've bet my life on the line countless times. And if you really are a demon, then that makes you the fourth "Demon" I've cheated out off." The Assassin slowly gets back up, but Gamble continues. "If you fight me… Be prepared to put your life on the line!"

"You're good, I admit…" The Assassin/Kishin said. "But you will die here!"

"No. That is enough." The Benefactor stepped in between the two fighters.

"Boss! I can take him!" Gamble said.

"You probably can, but you won't win or lose without a scratch and we still need you." The Benefactor snaps his fingers. "I'm giving you all permission to use your new upgraded weapons. Take this man out now before more damage can be done."

All the other F. Assassins took out their weapons.

The black eyed man known as Kishin got his blade ready. "Fine! Bring it! I'll take all-"

*BOOM!*

The Assassin finally fell. But his body twitched several times.

"The punk's still alive. Guess he has the skill to call himself a demon…" Gamble grumbled.

"Splice, please heal Gamble." The Benefactor said.

Sonedi looked surpised. "You-you all have such weapons?! And you're going to make more!?"

"Of Course!" The Benefactor said. "The more the merrier. After all, there is no such kill like overkill! As they say! Now, take care of all these people, put them all in chains. I rather not have them die and stink the whole place, so be sure to at least bandage the injured one. So Gamble here can have another go."

"Thanks boss!" Gamble said as he was all healed up.

"If they are all going to be like this when they wake up, it's best to subdue them. We will have a few more tries to try and return them, but if they cause us trouble before we can send them home again, kill them on the spot."

"So we kill them if we can't send them home?" Splice asked with a rather worried look.

"Splice, we all know what you're thinking. I saw the look in your eyes. Behave!" The Benefactor said as he followed everyone to the new momentary prison.

Even Sonedi followed the Benefactor into another part of the cavern. This left Splice all alone…

"…How sad…"

She said almost teary eyed.

* * *

**So unfortunately, I'll have to end the first part of this arc here.**

**Yeah yeah… it did kind of suck. And for the first Chapter in this arc, it's a bit lazy in writing than what I feel is comfortable. Not only that it's probably wasn't as epic as you'd all hope.**

**Well you'd think that the guest heroes will do more than get knocked out by the enemies on the first chapter. But I promise you all that your Heroes will kick ass and shine way more in the next chapter! **

**That is if they can survive…**

**A bit on the characters themselves:**

**I was only able to squeeze in a little bit of the OC- Kishin. There is more to this guy than he even claims as you guys will see in the next chapter. (Yeah, he is a hero- believe it or not.)**

**He belongs to rdfalcon560! And stars in his story: "Redemption."**

**This will be my longest arc yet, so don't worry about it if your OC hasn't had a chance to shine yet.**

**I want to explain the other ones, but I haven't properly introduced them yet, so I'll hold it off when they are all formally introduced. Even Kishin again- probably.**

**Something else I would like to mention: **

**I've been looking over the characters I have been sent and most don't have their own story they star in, even more, most of the ones that have their own story aren't long enough to really explain to me their characters. **

**So I may add a few twists on my own… Of course I will never go against what you all have written for your characters or what you asked me not to do, but I may add something myself to these characters in the up and coming chapters just for the sake in this story and nothing else… (Since I didn't ask for spoilers, there may be a chance I make a mistake in their character because of this. If I do, I am sorry.)**

**But that is just a thought I am dancing on right now.**

**This is my first experience writing about other people's characters and I find it rather challenging… and I like it!**

**I planned a lot for this arc, so the story will evolve in the next chapter. Please be patient!**

_Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.__  
__Oscar Wilde_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	29. Phase 2 Update 9

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait!**

**Knoll: Dude, you finished both these chapters before uploading this on-**

**Hush!**

**I wanna address something really quick.**

**This is for one of my recent reviews by **Mark-Kris Robin (Guest).

**I couldn't respond to this comment because- well you're a guest. But the reason I need to address your review was because I have a few questions and comments about it. **

**1. You said that my story was sometimes not followable= May I ask which parts specifically did I do this in? If you could tell me, then I would be glad to correct myself. Otherwise, I don't know what you mean by not followable.**

**2. I am quite sure that there are other writers besides me (And the famous duo you mentioned) that are consistent in their works, but we all have lives outside of this. I'm sure they have their own plans and stuff. (I also might have a harder time in uploading because of my studies this year.)  
**

**Well that's it. Time for the disclaimer!**

**I don't own Fire Emblem, I only own my OCs and I am borrowing other OCs for this chapter. Please support the official release.**

* * *

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 9

INTEGRAL DESIGNS FAILING…

ACCESSING SUPPORT SYSTEMS…

REINFORCING CALIBRATION ENHANCEMENTS.

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Uh… Ugh! Ah! … Oww… my stomach!" someone who seemed to be injured was tied up to the wall with chains. Whenever he moved, he felt pain.

"So you are awake. Damn, what happened to you?"

The injured young man tried to focus his sight at where the sound came from and he could barely see the figure in the dark cave. "R-Robin? Is that you?"

"Huh? I-I don't think we've met before, but it's not Robin. My name is Thomas, but I- uh get –um- mistaken for a person named Robin a lot! Yeah! Ehehe…" Thomas said. He too was chained to the wall.

"Alice! Hey, Alice, are you here!?" A girl tries to call for someone.

"Rei?! Are you here too!? I can't see you!" people in the room recognize that voice to be a little girl. And since she responded, that would imply that the little girl is Alice and the other girl was Rei.

"Looks like everyone seems to be waking up…" Another voice appears in the room. "So does anyone know where exactly we are?" This was a man's voice. "Or at least the ignoramus who placed us here?"

"Who are you?" Thomas' voice is heard.

"My name is Donkan." He introduced himself. "I would bow, but these shackles prevent me from doing that."

*Growl!*

"What was that!?" Alice cried.

"Sorry! I think that's my friend Charles, He's my wyvern. You OK, Buddy?" another female voice says this.

*Growl…*

"Oh-um right. My name is Ana. Ana Reyes." She said.

"Hey if we all are introducing ourselves, I'm Wystan. And well… I can't really see any of you." Wystan called out.

"Is that everyone here?" Donkan asked.

"Actually, I'm right next to one guy here. He doesn't look good." Thomas said.

"I would heal him if I had my staff and other stuff back…" Wystan said. "And if I was free…"

"Are-are we being held by slave traders!?" Alice cried a little scared.

"Wait, slave traders!?" Donkan said.

At this everyone started panicking a little.

"No!" Rei screamed. "Alice, don't worry! I won't let any of that happen."

"Yeah, no offense, but that doesn't inspire confidence." Donkan said. "Considering we're all still chained."

"Well, we have to do something!" Rei retaliated.

"SHH!" Wystan suddenly tried to shush everyone. "Someone's coming…"

It was silent for a moment besides some panting from Charles and a few grunts from Kishin (Who still wasn't able to introduce himself) then they all heard footsteps.

The footsteps came closer and closer and appeared to stop at the center of the room. Then a light appeared. A bright little light revealed the room. The one holding the light was a man wearing something close to Victorian era clothes.

"So this little device did come in handy…" He looks around and sees everyone awake and looking at him. "You're all awake then?" The odd man looks over to Kinshin. "And I see you're still alive…"

"Hey! Who are you!?" Thomas yelled.

"I apologize. My name is Sonedi Samtho." He introduced himself. "I am an inventor. Recently, one of the machines I have been working on had a catastrophic error and you all became casualties of that mistake." Sonedi said.

"What do you mean by mistake!? If it was a mistake, then why are we all chained up!? I remember one of your people kicking me in the neck!" Ana said.

"Where to begin…" Sonedi sighs. "How many of you know about the Outrealm gates? Just nod if you don't want to speak."

"The ones that people can say it has the ability to travel to different worlds?" Rei asked.

"Yes those same ones. Now would you all believe that we accidentally created a new Outrealms portal?"

Everyone's eyes just stare at him.

"I guess it would be the "messing with things beyond our comprehension" cliché from all those kids' books. That would certainly fit the description of what we did. But you may all pay the price for our mistake."

"What!? Don't talk like that! What the hell do you mean!?" Donkan questioned.

Sonedi just breathes in deeply. "Look… you all came here by accident. The machine we made accidently created a portal and there was no way to stabilize said portal. You all somehow fell through our portal by accident and now you're stranded in our world. Basically, you are all not supposed to be here."

Now a funny thing happened when Sonedi said that: Most of the prisoners were not surprised with what he said. It's more like most of them shared a thought similar to _Oh crap, not this again…_ combined with some traces of_ I traveled to two worlds?! The heck!?_ Needless to say, they found this situation to be very unique.

Sonedi continued with what he was saying. "Worst part of it all, my employer may kill you all if we can't somehow control this portal."

"Why would he do that?!" Ana asked.

"They are an underground organization with an interest in arming themselves. To overthrow the hierarchy governments of Ylisse, Plegia, Regna Ferox and probably even in Val-"

"Wait, this is still Ylisse?" Wystan interrupted.

"Hmm? How curious, did you all come from different version of our Ylisse? But that doesn't quite matter now. The point is that they will kill you because this is a secret project of theirs and they don't want any risks of it leaking, so their enemies won't know what they are working on." Sonedi told them.

"Hey wait a sec…" Thomas asked. "You kept saying _They _not _We_. Are you saying you're not with them?"

"I am… employed by them. Rather I owe them. They saved my life; besides, I was charged with murder and was almost given the death penalty before they came in, so I would have no other place to go." Sonedi said.

"You don't seem like a terrible person." Donkan said.

"… I still am."

"Sonedi right? You should still know that this is wrong! You have to help us!" Rei said.

"I'll try my best to somehow control the machine, but I can't go against them. They are the strongest warriors the underground has to offer- look at what they did to that man!" Sonedi pointed to the one injured badly. "And they have some unknown and powerful weapons!"

"So what, you're just going let them kill us!?" Wystan screamed.

"No, I will try my best to control this power and this machine. I am sorry though; you can only blame your own misfortune." Sonedi then leaves them. The cave darkens as Sonedi brings the only light source out with him.

"So what do we do now?" Thomas asked around. "We can't just let our lives be decided with something like that!"

"You know, this is usually the part in a story where something happens that allows us to escape…" Ana commented.

"Sounds like a cliché then." Wystan said. "This is real life! Since when do clichés actually happen in real life!?"

"I would prefer a cliché over dying!" Ana defended.

"These chains are surprisingly sturdy." Thomas thought out loud. "So much for assuming these chains weren't that good to break through."

"Break through chains?" Donkan said. "What kind of idea was that?"

"I don't see you doing anything!" Thomas retaliated.

"I can't see much at all and I already lost one of my eyes." Wystan commented.

"Did I come at a bad time?" a new voice asked silencing the fight.

"What? Who's there?!" Wystan screamed.

A dim light came out and it came from some kind of healing staff. The person using it was a beautiful War clerk with long platinum like hair.

"My name is Splice. I'm one of the warriors Professor Sonedi mentioned." She bows. She then goes over to the injured man in the room and uses her staff to heal him. "Are you better now, Kishin?"

"Thanks…" He says trying to feel himself back to normal. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

The woman put her finger on her cheek. "What? Didn't you just say your name when you attacked us?"

"I attacked you?" Kishin asked confused.

"Oh!? Your eyes are a nice shade of red… I thought they were black…" Splice noticed as she took a closer look to Kishin.

Kishin seemed surprised. "Black!? Then…" Kishin just remained silent to his thoughts.

"Why are you helping us?" Donkan asked.

"Because I don't want innocent people to die…" She said. "Truth be told, the situation is in a great mess. And there are no signs of control in any aspect. The portal we are trying to control is unstable and there is no progress in Sonedi controlling anytime soon. Since I don't want any of you to die, I'm going to help you all escape."

"Really?" Rei asked.

"Yes, but we have to go now. I was able to distract my boss with a false message." Splice had a key and opened up Kishin first. "Once you all get out of here, follow me and I should be able to lead you to the mining carts, they should lead to any of the four cities nearby."

Splice leads everyone out of the prison. Everyone was in awe at the type of machinery and the two boulders all in the middle of it.

"You're weapons are all over there." Splice pointed over.

Everyone picked up all of their weapons and hurriedly followed Splice. Some of them eyed the other's weapon curiously.

"So what's with all of that equipment a while back?" Donkan asked as they all hurried.

"We were originally planning to use the machine to mine up energy to create weapons new forms of weapons that use a different power from that of natural magic. The two boulders you saw were said to be seals to two ancient and powerful entities. Despite crazy myths, the boulders did have a crazy amount of power that made it a perfect target for our experiments in arming ourselves." Splice explains.

"Wait, why do you people need such power?" Thomas asked.

"… To change the world…" Splice responds.

As they all leave the huge cave, they come into another area filled with white and black crystals.

"Wow, they're so pretty!" Alice managed to say.

"Please hurry, my boss may have figured out what I'm doing by now." Splice said.

"Thank you again for that." Rei said.

"How did you convince your boss anyway?" Donkan asked.

"I was able to find a hidden room deep here. It depicted the story of how four guardian entities sealed away the two destructive forces. In order to fully suppress their power, the guardian entities created four keys that should be on all four of the villages nearby. If we were to attain the keys, we would have control over the two boulders and theoretically the portal we used to bring you all here." Splice told them. "If you can get those keys before we can, you might be able to negotiate with our boss in having him bring you all home without the risk of them killing you."

"How do you know that won't back fire?" Ana asked.

"Because despite him expressing to get rid of you all, he is a businessman first. He acknowledges trades with other people. I've worked under him enough to know that." Splice explained.

They all exited the crystal area. And came to a cross road. There was a huge crack in the ceiling finally showing sunlight in the area.

Splice stopped and pointed to several diverging caves. "These caves all lead to a mine that leads to a different city. These mines were originally made so that there would be a direct path between all four villages, but they abandoned the project for two reasons: one was that they believed this area to be sacred ground and the other reason was that all paths were not as straight forward as they thought and some of the paths and mines ended up twisted and crossed with each other." Splice started to walk back.

"Thank you Splice, how can we repay you?" Rei asked as they all headed to the caves.

"Oh… My…" Splice looked surprised. Everyone turned back and saw their ally seem to be in a daze.

"Splice, are you feeling well?" Donkan asked.

"I… I- all of your eyes… they are so pretty…" Splice seemed to be hypnotized.

* * *

=Scene change=

The scene quickly transitions to all of the other Assassins with Sonedi. They are all trying to look at the ruins Jewel found.

"This will help us greatly." The Benefactor said. "We'll have to divide our groups and send you all to the town to steal, or worst case scenario, force the keys out of all the villages. But it doesn't say what the keys look like."

"So how will we find them?" Phase asked.

"I'm going to assume that it's something they all worship as an ancient artifact. All towns are still celebrating and honoring this story. It should be something important in all cities. So it shouldn't be too hard to find in that sense." The Benefactor noted.

A sound came from within the ruins; everyone looked over and saw Jewel coming to them.

"Jewel! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the prisoners?!" Arcane said.

Jewel seemed surprised. "What?" She looked to the Benefactor. "Did you not tell me to patrol around the outside to see if our experiments have affected the outside?"

"Who told you that order?" The Benefactor asked.

Jewel thought about it for a moment. "S- oh gods, Splice told me!" She said worriedly.

"She might have brought them outside! Everyone after her and **save** the prisoners!" The Benefactor screamed with urgency and they all left with great speed.

"What's going on?!" Sonedi asked. Magus came over as everyone left.

"Splice is going to kill the prisoners. She tricked us into leaving her alone with the prisoners." Magus explained and he motioned to Sonedi to follow him.

Sonedi started running and followed Magus. "What do you mean by that?"

* * *

=The scene goes back to the ex-prisoners with Splice. But Magus and Sonedi continue their conversation.=

[Recommended music= Critical Mass- Fatal (Epic Action Massive Hybrid Rock Powerful Electric Guitar)]

"All of your eyes are so pretty!" Splice said. She pointed to Thomas, "Yours are so blue…" then to Kishin "Your eyes are a nice shade of red!" To Wystan. "You're eyes are green and gray!" To Ana. "You're eyes are such a nice shade of dark brown…" To Rei. "You also have a nice sky blue color…" To Alice, "you have one brown eye and one blue eye! How cute!" And finally she looked to Donkan. "You have a nice green color in your eyes…" then she looked to everyone in general with almost an obsessive pleasure in her face. "You're all so beautiful…"

"Splice… are you alright?" Ana asked. Charles started to growl fiercely at her.

At this, everyone slowly reached for their weapons.

(Magus: Splice is the most unstable person within the Syndicate. Do you remember our leader introducing her with two code names, but he only said one?)

Splice just stops staring at them and takes out her recovery staff and then she pulls out a light crystal blue bolt axe with only one hand.

(Sonedi: Yes… What is it?)

Splice smiles creepily. Wystan and Thomas open up with their magic and Rei supports them with her bow.

*Boom!*

Splice dodges the attack easily and rushes to them all at a fierce speed. Donkan and Kishin both charge and the two clash their blades against Splice's axe.

(Magus: Her other name is… Psych: Short for psycho. She is the most psychotic and unpredictable member of the Syndicate.)

The Axe started to glow; both of them disengaged and Splice sent a powerful shock wave. The path she made turned to ice and crystal shaped thunder was left over from the attack.

"Since when can a bolt axe do that!?" Ana said.

"It might be a special weapon in this world!" Thomas screamed as he shot another wind magic blast.

Splice dodged and landed on top of one of the frozen thunders.

"Damn she's quick!" Kishin screamed.

"There is only one of her! We can take her!" Donkan screamed as he got a familiar looking gold blade ready.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, is that Amatsu?!" Thomas asked.

"Psychotic Axe Assassin Lady is slightly more important now!" Donkan dismissed.

(Sonedi: Wait, you're code names usually have something to do with your skills or character… why is she also called Splice?)

"Guys! Something's wrong!" Alice screamed to everyone. "There's something else here!"

(Magus: … We mortals can be very scary with our "Gift" of free will… the ability to be either good or evil… but sometimes, that potential can bring out something-unthinkable…)

The only sunlight in the cave was suddenly blocked out by something.

"What the?!-" Ana yelled.

(Sonedi: Why are you explaining it like that to me?)

"Alice!?" Rei screamed.

"I can't see anything again!" Wystan complained.

(Magus: Splice is a master of not only healing magic, but also dark magic and hexes. Ever since the Risen appeared, she became obsessed over them beings that feel no pain but can move and fight. One day, she was able to gain control over a Risen.)

*GROWL…*

(Sonedi: Wait, even the Grimleal can't control one Risen! How was she able to!?)

(Magus: Cross was the only one who knew. But he did say she was able to control one specific Risen because she replaced the brain of that Risen with a human brain. Then using dark medium hexes on that human brain to control the Risen.)

(Sonedi: Dear gods… that's ingenious…)

(Magus: With her own little pet, she started to grow obsessed over make it "perfect". She started collecting _souvenirs_ for her pet and adding to it until…)

"I love the color of your eyes…" Splice's voice was heard in the darkness. "So much in fact, that I will gouge out your eyes and add them too my dear friend, Molly."

The sunlight came back and everyone found themselves separated and the ice was replaced with a huge monster.

"Oh my- what the hell is that!?" Wystan yelled.

A large twelve foot Risen appeared. But this monstrosity was different not only in size, but in appearance as well. The Risen had only one very large right arm and no left arm, but this arm had stitches all over it and it almost looked like that one hand was made out of other hands. The face was horrendous: It had countless rainbow eyes all bright and glowing all seeming to focus on all of its targets in one glance. The legs- there were no legs. The bottom part of the Risen was replaced by some stitched up, giant spider body. And the mouth was a cross. It opened up to reveal some kind of cross mouth with horizontal and vertically placed fangs.

Everyone almost looked sick in looking at it.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Splice said as she sat on its shoulder and hugged the thing. "And soon you all will be just like her… Molly…"

Everyone was scared to move until Molly slammed the ground with her fist.

The ground started to shake violently causing the people to back up into the mine paths and the cave to collapse.

"Alice!" Rei yelled.

"We have to go! The cave might collapse in!" Donkan pushed Rei in before the first cave collapsed on top of them.

"Rei!" Alice yelled for her sister.

"Come on sweetie, looks like we're going too! Charles!" Ana picked up Alice and flew to another cave.

"Whoa, Hey! Don't leave me here!" Wystan screamed as he followed them and the second cave collapsed.

"Guess it's just you and me left." Kishin said to Thomas.

"I personally prefer you than them. Exit stage right!" Thomas and Kishin ran towards the last cave.

"HA!" Splice shot another frozen bolt and it was heading right to the last duo!

*BOOM!*

The last cave was frozen solid. But it was seen that both Kishin and Thomas were unharmed. They both took one last look before running away.

"Molly… Break the boulders and ice wall please…" Splice pointed apathetically to one of the cave paths.

[End Music]

The monster raised her hand-

"Enough!"

Splice looked behind her and saw all of the other Assassins.

The Benefactor approached Splice and slapped her in the face!

"Next time: when I say _don't_… **don't**… Am I clear?" he said in a stern, scary, and serious voice.

Splice put away her weapons and looked down. "Yes sir…"

The Benefactor grabbed her face and made her look him in the eyes. "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

"Yes sir!" Splice said again louder.

The Benefactor looked to the monster Risen and then to Mule. "Mule! You and Molly here remove the boulders! Jewel, do what you can to help. Arcane, take one of Splice's rescue staves and the rest of the people with you through that hole in the ceiling. Be sure to split up and hunt them down; I remember where all caves went: the three here might lead to any of the four villages: Wind City, Fire Village, Water Town, and Earth Colony. Get those prisoners back and get their keys there as well. I will stay here, help Sonedi and watch Splice." The Benefactor said.

"…**NOW!**" He yelled.

And everyone started working on what they were doing.

Splice tossed Arcane a rescue staff and he warped himself at the top of the ceiling skylight. He then used the staff and brought Primal, Phase, and Gamble with him.

"Sir!" Magus came in and addressed the Benefactor.

"Magus, you'll go with Arcane in-"

"The machine reactivated!" Magus screamed. "Sonedi is trying to mitigate the situation!"

"Damn it!" The Benefactor cursed. "Everyone, continue on with my orders, Magus and Splice, follow me back!" the three of them ran off at great speed.

When the trio came back to the main cave, all was chaos.

"I don't know how!?" Sonedi yelled over. "But it's putting out even more power now! I don't think it's even the machine doing it this time!"

The boulders were exerting an insane amount of power. The machines still seemed to be intact, but black and white electricity was flying all over the place and even some rocks and wires were slowly levitating.

The portal expanded once more.

"Not again! Take Cover!" The Benefactor screamed.

Instead of an explosion or a boom, some kind of pulse exploded from the portal. It extended outward in a fast pace, but immediately vanished.

After things died down, The Benefactor went to Sonedi.

"It's getting worse. At this rate the two boulders may explode and take out everyone within a two hundred mile radius at this rate!" Sonedi complained.

"Which means we really need those keys…" The Benefactor looked to Magus and Splice. "Magus, bring Splice with you and find one of the keys. I don't know where the others went, so either follow them and help them get the keys faster or if you're alone, get the key from that town yourselves." He turned to Splice. "Splice, if I find out that you disobeyed Magus, or if Magus dies, you will receive a punishment worse than your greatest fear. Do you understand!?"

"Yes, Sir!" Both of them said and they both left.

The Benefactor started to walk. "I'm going to check the ruins one more time; there might have been something I missed. If something happens, scream; I'll get to you right away."

Sonedi nods and get's to re-arranging the machine.

The Benefactor is seen alone to his thoughts, but he does speak out loud. "… This little event is going to set me back… I'll have to keep a low profile if people are coming here from another world. I also remember seeing some of those people… They are much like Knoll…" He looks away. "Still, the power fluxes mean that the seals are weakening. I am curious at what happens next…"

* * *

**So the heroes escape! But they get separated from each other!** **The race for the keys begin! Will the Heroes succeed? Will the Assassins kill them?! Or will something lurking win over the death match!? This story is far from over!**

**Now the story should be picking up.**

**I split the group up because I plan for them to a little more focus on them individually in the next few chapters.**

**But both chapters have been a little short, so after these notes, I'm going to try something new!**

**I'm going to put a summarized back story up for one of the Assassins!**

**I might not do this every chapter, but I will do this from time to time.**

**So let me test it out: Here is Splice/Psych's back story!**

* * *

=A long time ago...=

It all began with one man: Dr. Torak. He was on his way to meet with one of his old friends/patients.

But when he saw his friend's village, it was all burnt up and there were dead bodies lying around. The Dr. hurried into the home and tried to look for anyone alive, but he couldn't find anyone. After a while, he heard a little girl crying.

Dr. Torak ran over and spotted one little girl among a blood bath. Both villager and bandit bodies were scattered in that area. Dr. Torak came to the little girl and asked her for her name.

"Dolly." The girl managed to say.

The Dr. felt pity for the girl and asked her what happened. Dolly told him that bandits came and killed everyone, even her parents, but she doesn't remember anything after their deaths.

Torak then took the girl and brought her to live with his wife.

His wife was a tailor. She made beautiful dresses that everyone loved. Dolly enjoyed learning from Mrs. Torak. She would help make beautiful designs with her and sometimes make special clothes for her own dolls. Dolly would also learn medical treatment from Dr. Torak. He would also teach her studies on the human brain since Dr. Torak was part neurologist.

For a while life was peaceful, then when she had grown up to be a beautiful young woman, Dolly wanted to follow her dream to become a dress designer and signed up for a prestigious tailor school.

Dolly was a genius and a creative soul. All her designs were beautiful and colorful.

But her classmates and peers grew spiteful and jealous. They started sabotaging her work, alienating her, and would simply verbally insult her every moment they could. It was also a hard time for her because by now, her foster parents had passed on.

Dolly felt so heartbroken; however, another girl didn't do any of the things the others did, she reached out and became Dolly's friend. Funny enough, her name was Molly.

Molly now stood up for Dolly every time and the two became inseparable.

Molly was very plain though compared to the beautiful Dolly. Molly was struggling in the school work unlike Dolly. So Dolly would always try to design a beautiful dress to help Molly; she wanted Molly to be pretty and well liked as much as she liked her.

It then came time for a graduation project. The students were asked to design an original new work for a visiting lord.

Dolly once more became top of the class, but this time, the visiting lord fell in love with Dolly and wanted to make her his wife. Dolly didn't want to accept the proposal mostly because the lord was very greedy and cruel to the people in his land.

The lord wouldn't take no for an answer, but Molly stepped in and shooed him away. The lord left very angry but Dolly was thankful and gracious for her friend.

That night, to thank her friend, Dolly worked all night on one of her best dresses. But suddenly bandits stormed her room!

They surrounded her and she became scared and frightened. The lord suddenly appeared and said that he will make her his bride and that no *itch would stand in his way. He then had the bandits throw Molly's dead body in front of her.

Something in Dolly snapped. She suddenly stopped crying and grabbed her needles, pins, and scissors.

Now during this same time, three warriors came to this area to kill the greedy lord while he was away from his home land. Self proclaimed warriors of a newly formed Syndicate, fought and killed a large group of bodyguards with ease, but someone had already beaten them to killing the greedy lord.

Thayer, Marvo, and Cross all witnessed a blood red room with bandits and the lord brutally murdered. The three of them saw a wailing girl hugging and crying over a dead woman wearing a beautiful dress.

Feeling pity, Cross came over to them and removed his helm. Dolly stopped for a second and stared at him. Cross noticed that she was slightly injured and then he offered her to join them.

Thayer asked why they were recruiting a beautiful girl, but Cross told them that she has the makings of a powerful warrior. That and she needed help she needed someone to help her.

Dolly took Cross' offer and she thought about it for a while before calling herself one of her favorite words from her foster father.

On this night, the woman named Dolly died, but in her place...

Splice was born.

* * *

**How'd you guys like the short story? I don't have as much confidence in making around 40 back stories for all of these characters, but I'll see…**

**Oh right I forgot to introduce the OCs!**

**First let's go with…**

**Ana Reyes-** **She is the wyvern rider (For here- I put her as a Wyvern Lord) OC of ****Pikapikaluv****! She doesn't star in her own story unfortunately.**

**Donkan- This sword master belongs to LeonPianta. And this guy stars in the Fanfic: "Companions"**

**Rei and Alice (Asaki Hikari)- these two characters belong to ZeroRei00. This one doesn't have a story they star in. Rei is some sort of hybrid between Tactician/Archer. While Alice is… I'll keep that a secret for now… (And if you're wondering why I allowed two of these OCs, you'll see in the latter chapters as well.)**

**Thomas- This Grandmaster belongs to tblplum. He tells me that he is making his own story soon, so look forward to it!**

**Kishin- This skilled assassin is owned by rdfalcon560. He stars in the fanfic: "Redemption"**

**Last, but certainly not least, We have…**

**Wystan(Leo)- Dawning the new class called Sword Bishop/Sword Saint, This character can use staves, blades, and he brings back the light tomes! (Fun! Oh, and I'll explain the Leo part of this later.) The proud owner of this OC is Sol D. Mars. And he doesn't star in a fanfiction of his own.**

**Now most of these are the heroes I introduced. The Villains and the Heroes' Guide are yet to come! (Or are they?)**

**So that is it; Let's see what happens next as we go to one of the Elemental towns! I wonder which group goes to which town? And what does lie in the town itself?**

**Well here we go!**

_It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.  
Aristotle_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**

* * *

=Meanwhile…=

We turn our attention to Knoll Highlander who is still listening to some rather… unique… stories the caravan driver was telling him and his wolf about.

"… And that is why, from there on, I always sleep completely naked in an unlocked and well lit room without a blanket!" The driver… um… gave some colorful imagery.

Knoll was looking a little traumatized for some reason and looked as if he was trying to pull off his own ears.

+_I-I'm going to-uh- work on something else for a while! Call me when you're there!_+

(Chronos, you dastard! Don't leave m-)

+…+

"GAAAHHHH!" Knoll yelled.

"Oh that reminds me!" The driver said. "Have I told you about the time I dated all five of my Boss' daughters?"

Knoll only started crying and whining at this.

"Oh yeah." The driver reminisced. "There was a lot of crying in this story- in more ways than one! If u no wut I mean…"

At that point, Knoll contemplated homicide as a viable option.


	30. Phase 2 Update 10

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 10

ANALYZING…

FOREIGN USERS DETECTED…

FOREIGN VIRUSES DETECTED.

FOREIGN PROGRAMS DETECTED.

ERROR.

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Think we lost them!?" Thomas said as he ran behind Kishin. The two of them were still somewhere in the mines.

"Just keep moving!" Kishin replied. They then came out of the path and saw a mine cart rail way.

The two looked ahead and saw a large chasm. The only way across was through a wooden rail way for the mine cart.

"The bridge doesn't look that stable…" Thomas noted. "And from the shaking a while back, I don't think it will hold if we walk on it for too long…"

Kishin looked back. "Then we use this mine cart here. You get in; I'll push the cart hard enough so we should be fast enough to get through."

Thomas raised his brow. "Um… I think I should do that; you should get in the cart."

Kishin suddenly stopped and said. "Look… you look like someone I know from my world. And I know that he is a strong guy, but I'm stronger than him. And since you look like him, I assuming you're the same strength as him." He said bluntly.

Thomas almost took that as an insult with the way Kishin mentioned it. "But I'm from a different world. Who knows, maybe I'm stronger than your friend or you." He taunted.

Kishin stopped for a moment. "… But what if you're even weaker then?" And insulted him again.

If this was a cartoon, there would be veins popping on both of the hero's heads right now.

Thomas then thought of something. "Fine, let's do this: We both push it. This way when it moves fast enough, we can both ride it."

"OK." Kishin simply agreed.

Now both of them started to push the cart and soon they pushed it faster, but neither of them went jumping in the cart.

"You should probably get in now." Kishin told Thomas while running faster.

Thomas kept pace and seemed to trying to run even faster. "It's alright, **you** go in first. I can handle this."

It looked as if neither of them would yield and both started running faster and stomping harder on the rail way. They also eyed each other with a glare as they kept doing this immature fight.

*CRACK!*

Both of them looked behind them… and saw that the railway behind them was collapsing!

"Alright then, if you're so insistent!" Kishin said as he tried to jump in first.

"No, its fine! I'll take your original offer!" Thomas said and tried to be the one to get into the fast moving cart first.

The two struggled to get into the cart first as the collapse slowly reached them. Just before it reached them, they both were able to jump in the last second!

The mine cart was able to reach a fast enough speed to reach the other side and re-enter a cave.

"Phew that was close…" Thomas said while being on a fast moving cart. "Hey… Uh sorry about that before, guess I got carried away."

"No, I'm sorry." Kishin said. "I wasn't careful with my words."

Both of them chuckle. "Guess all we do now is sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride…" Thomas lay back in the cart and made himself comfy.

Kishin turned his head to see where they were heading- "Uh, Thomas? …What would happen if this would be a ride to hell!?" Kishin screamed urgently.

Thomas quickly got up with a questioning look, "What do you mean ride t- Holy…"

There was another opening to chasm again with only the rail way as a form of connection...

But this had something like a fifty foot slope drop.

"ShiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Thomas yelled as both he and Kishin rode the slope down at an insane speed.

* * *

"But my sister is back there!" Rei complained.

"Woman, think! All of the other people we escaped with were good people. I'm sure one of them took care of your little sister." Donkan replied with slight annoyance in his tone.

"But what if none of them did? What if she was left alone!?"

Donkan came over and shook her a little. "Thinking those types of thoughts aren't very healthy."

"But she's my sister! Of course I worry about her!" Rei said.

Donkan suddenly stopped and thought about his situation. "Right… I guess having some family should give you reason to worry like that… Hell, I don't know if I will ever see my family again…" He let go and started walking.

"Sorry about that." Rei said. "I guess I was just panicking over. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Yeah… It's fine. Look, let's just see where this place leads to first. Well figure things out latter on the others and getting ourselves back to… where we were…" Donkan pondered a bit. He started walking ahead and Rei followed him.

(Wait… if that thing can go anywhere… is it possible that this portal might bring me home? No wait- I wouldn't know how to operate or control the machine. Also disregarding the properties of the mysterious artifacts of which we were not informed on their appearance, I doubt there is an opportunity to turn this into a way home...) Donkan thought.

"Hey Donkan… right? Sorry, what was your name again?" Rei asked.

Donkan snapped back to his senses. "You got it right it's Donkan and you're… Alice?"

"No, I'm Rei. Rei Asaki Hikari. Alice was- is my little sister…" Rei said.

"Oh right, sorry about that- so what did you need?" Donkan asked.

Rei pointed around and they were in some kind of three way divergence. "There is a path to our right, a path to our left, and one straight. Where do we go?"

"Good question… I guess we could- what's that sound?" Donkan and Rei looked to the right path and heard a sound coming closer to their direction from the path on the right.

"…..iiiiiiiii…"

The sound was getting louder and the ground beneath the two started to shake.

The two looked to their feet and saw that they were standing on a rail way!

"iiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"

"CRAPPP-LOOOKK OUUUTTT!"

The two quickly looked back up and saw Kishin and Thomas riding a high speed mine cart right towards them!

*SWOOSH!*

"Fancy meeting you two here!" Kishin yelled as both Rei and Donkan were hanging on the front of the cart.

"The hell dudes!? You just hit us with a speeding cart! I could have all my bones broken! Be glad they aren't!" Donkan threatened.

"Well excuse us from surviving a fifty foot tall drop!" Thomas yelled back. "These things don't have breaks!" Both he and Kishin helped in the other two into the cart.

"Just where does this thing go?!" Rei yelled.

"Don't know, but I just hope we won't hit a dead end soon!" Kishin screamed.

"There's something up ahead!" Thomas yelled.

It turned out that they left the cave once more and into a chasm with only cart railway bridges. But this one went to an even bigger drop with twists and turns just below it.

"Who the hell designs mine railways like theseEEEEEEEEEEEE!?" Donkan wailed.

All four of them screamed as they went through twist, loops, and three sixties at the speed of the g force.

A little while in, all of them lost their lunch at least once.

* * *

Somehow the mine cart finally slowed down from what seemed to be an outside, abandoned, construction lot.

The four of them crawled out of the mine cart. It took a while for all of them to get a hold back on walking and their stomachs, but thankfully none of the terrible smell lingered on them nor did anything… "Stick" on them.

"Crazy powerful people, Risen, and weapons…" Donkan said. "And stupidly designed railways… This world is taking the piss!" He fisted the air in anger.

"Urf… Remind me to never go into any more mine carts in this world…" Rei said as she struggled to get back up.

"I Concur!" Thomas says. He gets back up. "So where are we?"

Kishin looked around and saw smoke from a distance. "I think there is a town over there." He pointed over beyond the forest. "I vaguely hear people and there are smokes going in the air."

"It must be one of the towns Splice told us…" Rei noted.

"Should we really trust her word now? After she just threatened to gouge out our eyes and add them to that… erff… Thing!?" Donkan shivered at the thought of the monster.

"… I- id-don't know…" Thomas said out loud and everyone remained silent for a while. "But it is our only plan. If we don't do something, we might be stranded here."

"_Things might actually get worse than being stranded in this world…_"

"Who said that?!" Kishin screamed and everyone but Thomas took out their weapons.

Thomas looked around for a while. "No way… Fred? Is that you?"

The others looked to Thomas. "Who's Fred?!"

"_Sorry about that… I'm Fred… I'm a friend of Thomas here._" The voice said.

"So… where are you?" Thomas asked around.

"_About that… Crossing over to another world by an unnatural source has… made me more… *Sigh* limited…"_

"What do you mean by that?" Thomas asked.

"_**It simply means that human guides are not meant to be efficient guides…**_" I new voice fills the sky around them.

"No…" Kishin said recognizing the voice. "Necora? Is that you?"

"_**Kishin…**_"

"Does anyone one want to tell me what's going on!?" Donkan screamed.

Suddenly a hooded figure appeared in a flash of fire. The hooded figure held out a ghostly blue orb.

"_**My name is Necora. In Kishin's world, I am a guardian of life and death. This little orb in my hand just so happens to be the one you call Fred.**_" Necora explained as she pointed to the orb in her hands. "_**Being brought to this world has changed both him and I. Along with others like us…**_"

"There… there are more of you?" Rei asked.

"_Believe it or not, the others you were trapped with have some similar situations with Donkan here and Thomas._"

Thomas and Donkan looked at each other. "Wait, what are you-" Donkan tried to ask.

"_It's too complicated to explain now. We need to warn you about this world._" Fred told them.

"Warn us? About what?" Rei asked.

"_**This world is giving off an ominous energy. I can sense the dead and the living of this world and they are all restless, moving rapidly… something is amiss in this world and I cannot even pinpoint to what it is…**_" Necora explained. "_**The longer you all stay here, the higher the chances are for you all to suffer a powerful fate…**_"

"So what do we do then?" Kishin asked.

"_We were all with you from the time you were all captured. However, something in that mining cave was weakening all of us. I think it had something to do with all those black and white rocks._" Fred explains. "_We've heard everything from the start; we have reason to believe that psychotic bitch a while back was telling the truth._"

"Looks like we are key hunting then." Donkan commented.

"_**Yes… We need to bring you all back to where you were immediately! Both Fred and I will help detect this mystic artifact in the villages. It will be up to you all to somehow get it.**_" Necora pointed to all of them.

"Let's go then, I don't want to stick around and see what a "Powerful Fate" is." Thomas said.

"_**Before you all do, Kishin, I need to tell you this.**_" Necora stopped them.

"What is it?" Kishin asked.

"_**He… tried to fight against those warriors. I have never seen a human in our world keep up like they did and I saw their weapons. They were all empowered by some mysterious force… As it is right now, I must ask you all to avoid the ones that call themselves The Syndicate. We will be watching you all and be keeping in touch, Good Luck.**_" Necora says before she and Fred vanish.

Thomas looked to Kishin. "What did she mean by _HE_?"

Kishin looked down and sighed. "Necora… She was referring to my other self."

"Other Self?" Rei asked.

"Let's just say, I have a lot of issues with my family." Kishin says. "So much in fact that because of it, I gained a form of split personality: One where I'm normal like now, and one when I go full bloodlust hungry. Whenever I change, my eyes change colors. The evil me has black eyes, while I have red eyes. He is also a lot stronger and more vicious. Necora was trying to tell me that my blood luster demon side of me was unable to defeat one of them head on meaning that they are just as powerful as Splice was crazy."

"That does explain a few things a while back…" Thomas noted. "Like why you were injured and why you didn't seem to remember anything. But a split personality? Doesn't that make you kind of dangerous to be around?"

"I admit that I am dangerous." Kishin said. "But I can't sense my violent other at all. They must have really did a number on him (in my body) when he fought against them. So right now, I have complete control of my thoughts right now and it's refreshing." Kishin stretched his arms.

"That also doesn't inspire confidence." Donkan commented.

Kishin looked at him and responded. "Then let's try this: Let's get the keys as quickly as possible before my other person wakes up and potentially kills you all."

"*Sigh* This is going to be a long adventure…" Donkan said as he started walking to the village.

Everyone shortly followed him.

* * *

The four arrive to a breath taking sight: They saw a large canyon that split the ground very long and wide, but on the hollow parts of the canyon, there was a city! A town formed along the inside of the canyon and bridges were seen connecting the city to each other on both sides.

"Whoa…" Kishin commented. "There is nothing like this in my world…"

"I think that goes for me too." Thomas said.

"It's so beautifully architected, are all the cities like this?" Rei asked.

Fred's voice came out of nowhere. "_Funny you should mention that, babe._"

"My name is Rei, not babe." Rei folded her arms strictly.

"_**Ignoring him, this world may be ominous in the air, but it seems that this world is rather… Beautiful and Strong… There are many more towns like these across this world… It perks my interest in what this foreboding feeling I have in this world.**_" Necora said.

"Hey guys!" Thomas screams out from close to edge of the canyon. "There is stairway path over here! It's so cool; there are cave paintings right along the path!"

The others soon followed him and saw there was a stair way path to the town. Along to wall canyon of the path, were cave painted animals seemingly old paintings depicting dears, elephants, even wyverns and pegasi.

"I'm not one to say, but these paintings are cool." Kishin said as he touched one of the paintings of a buffalo.

"We should probably continue on." Rei said. "We still need to look for the key."

"But the question is where to find it here?" Donkan looked around.

As they all entered into one side of the city, they were greeted by one of the villagers there.

"Hail, Travelers! Welcome to Earth Colony! One of the four element cities!" The man welcomes them. "Are you all tourists?"

"Erhm! Yes! We are all visiting this lovely and beautiful place." Rei responded quickly. "Do you think you could show us around this place? Since we are first timers here and all."

"Sure thing!" The man walked ahead and everyone followed him.

The tour guide started talking about the history of the colony. "You all do know the major story of this place right? About the four guardian entities and the two destructive ones?"

"Yes, we do." Thomas said.

"Well then. After that, The Entity of Earth originally created this town as a defense. He had his followers live and guard this side of the seal should anyone try to release the two destructive entities. We are descendants of those defenders, but this place has always been peaceful. We are all in good terms with the other three cities as well." He explained.

"So what did you mean by _side of the seal_?" Kishin asked.

The man smiled. "Ahh, you see the Entities all made keys for their city. All are part of the seal that keeps the Destructive Ones suppressed. We have our artifact: The Earth Key, while all the others have keys named after their elements."

"So that's what it is…" Thomas whispered to Rei and the others.

"Funny you should all mention that." The tour guide said. "We are having our upcoming annual Knock Tourney!" He said in joy.

"Um, what's that?" Rei asked.

"It's a tournament we have here. Countless people from either here or from other places come here to compete in a tournament of skill!" The guide pointed to the chasm.

There, right above most of the bridges were long wires stretching as far as to the other side and around the center of if all were some kind of circular platforms. There were many of them!

"You see, since our ancestors always had an era of peace. They held this tournament to keep their warriors in shape. These are the rules: Two people are pitted against two opposing people. With wooden weapons, you must knock out the opposing team members off the circle platform you're all on." The man said.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Donkan asked.

The guide shook his head. "No! We are going to prepare nets all across the bridges so no one will die. I'll try to explain more: you see the wooden weapons you're allowed are based off the three major weapons. So you have a long staff for people who are used to spears, clubs for axe wielders, and a strong stick for sword practicers. No magic or real weapons allowed. And the winner of the tournament get's to keep The Earth Key for a whole year!"

Everyone's eyes widened at that last sentence.

"You guys put your town's artifact as a prize?!" Thomas asked surprised.

"Well it's one of the old rules. This way, the warriors would especially train hard should they lose the key to outsiders. We've still kept it to give a big reason and drive for people in our city to win." He said. "And so far, no one has been able to win this tournament that lived outside of this city."

"Hey… We are interested in this tournament. Can we join in?" Rei asked.

"Sure, everyone is welcome! One of the register buildings is over there." He pointed over. "Good Luck! And hope you enjoy your stay!" The man waved goodbye to them.

The four got into the building and first got together on a table nearby.

"Well this works out well." Thomas said. "If we can win the tournament, we can easily obtain the first key!"

"This also gives me a perfect chance to practice my sword play!" Rei cheered. "What better way to train and become stronger than to face powerful warriors from another world!"

"So how are we going to do this?" Kishin asked. "We all enter and one of us has to win?"

Donkan nods his head. "It's better if we increase our chances of winning like that. So who's partnering with whom?"

"Hmm, Kishin, wanna be partners?" Thomas asked.

"So pairing up with the ones we escaped with, is that OK?" Kishin asked.

"Alright! That leaves me and Donkan then!" Rei said. "I'll go ahead and sign uuuuSSS! –Ow…" Poor Rei tripped and fell down. Kishin quickly helped her up.

"You and Kishin better do well." Donkan silently told Thomas. And Thomas nodded.

They all walked up to the registry and were greeted by a desk woman.

"Hello, how may I help you all?"

"We would like to sign up for the tournament please." Rei said.

"Alright." The woman said and she put out for sheets of paper and an ink pot with two feathers. "Please sign these and that would be 4,000 gold please."

(Record Scratch. avi)

"… Come again?" Donkan asked.

"The Entrée fee is 1000 gold. Since there are four of you, it goes around 4000 gold." The desk lady said.

They all awkwardly stared at her for a while.

"… Could you give us a second please?" Kishin said as the four of them huddled back at the table.

…

"We don't have money on us do we?" Rei stated the dreaded obvious.

"And just when we thought this would be easy…" Donkan said as he rubbed his head.

"What do we do now?!" Thomas asked worriedly.

A voice came out. "Are you guys alright?"

They all looked up and saw a green haired, female hero with a taller green haired sword master. The two looked a lot like siblings.

"We couldn't help but hear you're having trouble with money on the registration. We could pay for you all if you'd like." The man said.

"What really?!" Rei said.

"Whoa, wait. Why?" Kishin quickly asked.

"First allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Yuile and this is my younger brother Toris. We are also joining the tournament this year." The girl said as both of the siblings bowed. "It's a custom in our home here to show honor and kindness to all who need it. So we would be glad to help you all join the tournament."

"That and it becomes more fun with more people!" Toris said with a laugh.

"Then thank you for the offer." Thomas said and they all bowed. "We are truly grateful for that."

"It's no problem at all!" Yuile said and they all went back to the desk.

Toris gave a medium sized bag of gold to Kishin and Kishin placed it on the desk. Then the four signed up the papers and paired up. They all gave back the papers and the desk woman gave them tags shaped like a turtle.

"These will be your proof of entering the tournament. Please keep them with you and wait for further instructions. Thank you for your patronage." The desk lady said.

They all left out the building and the heroes face the siblings.

"Thank you all so much for this." Rei said. "We'll try our best to pay you back."

"No it's alright." Yuile said. "It's our hospitality tradition."

Toris scratched his head. "Well there is one catch: you all better do well in the tourney! It would suck to just beat you all with ease!" He boasted.

"Really? I was about to say the same thing to you." Kishin said as he glared at Toris. They both had a rival like glare to them.

A man came over. "Toris, Yuile! There you both are! You still haven't given the Earth Key back to the mayor!"

"What?!" Thomas yelled and the four looked to the siblings.

"Yeah… we've been champions of this tourney for six years." Yuile said.

"Still think it would be easy?" Toris said to Kishin.

"Like taking candy from baby." Kishin replied back.

"Well we have to go now! Bye! See you guys later in the opening ceremony!" Yuile waved and left with her brother and the man.

"They are the champs?" Thomas said. "And they had the Key?!"

"_Yeah we sensed it just now. Those two were telling the truth._" Fred's voice comes out.

"Hey are you two supposed to talk just all casually like that?" Donkan asked as he looked around.

"_Don't worry, only you folk can see and hear us._" Fred explains.

"So all we need to do now is win the tournament! We have to be wary of Yuile and Toris though…" Rei noted.

"I can take em." Kishin said.

"You mean **we**, Kishin." Thomas told him. "This is a team fight, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah- but let me handle Toris!" Kishin said.

"Fine, but let's go already. The tourney should be starting soon." Donkan answered and started walking.

* * *

"Welcome all! To the annual Knock Tournament! This is going to be our biggest event yet with over two hundred participant this year! I am the Mayor of this lovely town, my name is Victor Steam. Allow me to explain the rules you all should have read from the guide by now." The mayor said as his voice was amplified by several town mages. "There will be a two on two fight within the circle platforms you're all in. The footings of the platforms are supported by strong elastic substances given to us by the brilliant inventors of Lem Ttrees and by some of the Anna sisters! Because of the elastic and bouncy nature of the support wires, your footing will be completely different from fighting on land. So watch your step."

"So there are Annas wherever you go…" Donkan commented at the mention of Anna.

"The goal of winning is to knock off the opposing team. If you were to fall, don't worry! Our towns lovely rescue team, filled with pegasi and wyvern riders, will catch you if you fall. And in case they can't catch you, we have eight layers of safety nets to stop your fall. There is almost no chance of you falling to your demise, unless one of you fans gets too excited." Mayor Steam announced to the crowd.

"You two are in for quite the fight…" Thomas said as he and Kishin got ready to face their opponents.

"Now, without further adieu… BEGIN!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone was surprised that two people quickly fell down to the safety net. Even the flyer groups were just about to take off and patrol the skies. Everyone looked over to the place where the one team fell instantly and saw two tough looking fighters.

On the circle there was a Sword master holding a wooden staff and a hooded purple Sage also wielding a staff.

"_**Everyone! Those two are part of the Syndicate! The Sword Master is the one who single handedly fought off Kishin's violent half!**_" Necora said to the four.

The four of them eyed the two competitors wearily. While Gamble looked over and met eyes with Kishin, a smirk appeared on his face as he pointed the staff to him.

"Dude, what is it with you and Sword Masters?" Thomas said as he motioned to Kishin to get ready for their opponents.

"HAA!" They both charged at their opponents and easily won.

* * *

Our Heroes did amazingly in the tourney. They beat the competitors with ease and with little trouble. Now it was down to the semi finals with only four teams that remained standing.

"This all was rather quick." Donkan said. "It's only been three hours and we're already down to the Semi Finals."

"Yeah, but look at who we are facing off." Thomas said.

The matches of the Semi finals went like this:

_Yuile and Toris V.S. Donkan and Rei_

_Thomas and Kishin V.S. Arcane and Gamble_

"Thomas and I are against the Assassins…" Kishin said.

"Which leaves the previous champs against us…" Rei said.

"If only there was a tactic we could use that could help us… Ugh, sometimes I hate being a tactician…" Thomas rubbed his nose.

"We will have to rely on teamwork and skills then." Rei said. "That's our best chance of winning!"

"Hey guys."

The four looked over and saw Yuile and Toris.

"Hey Kish, good luck on the fight, I wanna be the one to knock you out." Toris said.

"I'd be surprised if you would even get to the finals." Kishin said.

"The other two guys look tough though. It would be cool to fight with you though." Yuile said. "No offense, but we have to win now that we are the only villagers left."

"Sorry, we'll be the first outsiders to win the tournament." Donkan said.

"We'll see you all soon." Yuile said before she and her brother left.

"_**Safe passage to you all. These next few battles may decide our fates…**_" Necora told them.

"Will our semi finalists please take the stage?" The mayor's voice echoed in the canyon.

Everyone hitched a ride on the group fliers and they were brought to two large circle arenas.

On one circle were the siblings with Donkan and Rei, and on the other one were Thomas and Kishin with the Syndicate.

The mayor started talking when everyone was on the stages. "It's time for the semi finals folks! After these matches, we will go straight to the finals! This year there only seems to be the previous…"

While the mayor was talking, Gamble and Arcane were getting ready.

[Recommended Music= Phoenix Music - Glory And Honour (Epic Choral Cinematic Orchestral)]

"Hey Demon… I always did want to beat you up for embarrassing me in front of my friends and boss." Gamble said to Kishin. "Hey… did you always have red eyes? Or was that because of the dark in the cave?"

"Why are you two here?" Thomas asked. All Kishin did was glare.

"That's classified. Surrender now or else." Arcane said. Both members got ready.

Kishin and Thomas only prepared themselves for a hard fight.

"BEGIN!" The mayor said after ending his speech.

All combatants started to engage, but in the arena of Kishin and Thomas…

"Hyarg!"

Both Gamble and Arcane slammed the arena with all their might and at the same time. They shook the arena greatly causing the two heroes to easily lose their balance.

"Whoo- Whoa!" Thomas said as he and Kishin struggled to regain their footing.

The Members didn't seem to be fazed by the vibrations and they fiercely attack the duo. Arcane was able to easily knock Thomas out of the arena first!

"AAH!" Thomas yelled as he was caught by a pegasus knight.

"Thomas!" Kishin yelled. But he suddenly clashed wooden weapons with Gamble.

"You're a little sloppier than you were in the cave…" Gamble said as he continued to fight Kishin. "More passive…more defensive even less aggressive."

"Ha!" Kishin stabbed with the wooden sword , but Gamble dodged and hit him in the back. Kishin fell close to the edge. Kishin got back and faced Gamble with a scorn.

"Now I'm very disappointed that you gave me such trouble before." Gamble said as he quickly round house kicked Kishin and knocked him off the stage!

"Kishin!" Donkan yelled from the other arena.

"Donkan Focus!" Rei yelled.

These two faced off against the former champs and they too were having a hard time. The champs were strong due to their amazing team work. They both seemed to work like two well oiled machines. Donkan and Rei were always on the defensive on their attack.

But after one duo move by the siblings, they separated Donkan and Rei.

"Shit!" Donkan said as Toris came charging after Donkan. Donkan prepared himself, but he was suddenly caught off guard when Toris suddenly stopped and ducked! Right above Toris was Yuile flying in with a kick! Donkan was unprepared and was kicked hard in the chest and went flying off the arena!

"Donkan!" Rei said being the last one standing.

"You guys did well, but it looks like we win." Yuile said.

"I'm sorry Donkan." Rei said as she looked down.

"Hey, don't feel bad. Though I can't wait to meet Kishin after this…" Toris said.

"No, you misunderstand." Rei said as she held the wooden sword to her face like a dueling position. "I'm sorry because I wasn't able to read your movements faster. Only now do I understand them…"

"You read our moves? That's crazy!" Toris said. He charged at her with a vertical slash, but Rei quickly backed off to the edge. Rei then dodged Toris and kicked him off the edge!

"My mother was an amazing swords woman… I would always watch her practice swordplay. She taught me everything I knew and I always wanted to be like her…" Rei reminisced. "One day, I want to surpass her, and if I lose here… I won't be able to surpass her in more ways than one…" She charged at Yuile and started a quick and fierce assault. "So I'm not losing here, not when my family is in trouble!" Rei knocked Yuile's weapon away and shoved her off the stage!

"Way to go Rei!" The other three cheered.

"Well folks! I'm a little sad to say that we may lose our key this year, but in exchange, we will get quite the exciting tournament final! Which of these two teams will get the earth key!? We will find out soon!" The Mayor said.

Rei was brought down and met up with the others.

"You were amazing!/Nice Job!/ Kudos on knocking out Toris." The guys cheered.

"Oh Shucks…" Rei said a little embarrassed.

"But that leaves you and Donkan against Gamble and Arcane…" Kishin noted.

Donkan rubs his head. "And considering how I did and what they did… We don't stand a chance…"

"If only I could have paid more attention to their fighting styles… I could have come up with a counter style… But it might be too long for me to analyze before they knock us out…" Rei said.

"Not to mention the two might take you out quickly after seeing what you can do…" Kishin noted.

Thomas held his chin and suddenly brightened up. "Guys! I have an idea!"

Everyone looked at him. "Don't keep us in suspense! Tell us now; we are going to face them soon!" Donkan said.

"Come in closer." Thomas said as everyone huddled. "For this to work, we will need Fred and Necora. You guys there?"

"_We are here, but we can't really help you in the physical plane._" Fred said.

"That's not what I was aiming for. Listen guys this might be our only shot in winning…" Thomas started to explain the plan.

=Later=

It was now the finals. The Assassins face off against Donkan and Rei.

"We are looking forward to beating you up." Gamble said.

"You got another thing coming if you think we'll just keel over." Donkan replied to them.

"We already have a plan to beat you fools." Gamble said.

They all heard the mayor start the match. "BEGIN!"

Gamble did something that surprised everyone: he threw his weapon to Arcane!

Everyone was surprised and Rei said, "What the-"

But she was quickly interrupted by a fierce assault by Arcane who was wielding two wooden staves!

"Rei!" Donkan tried to get to her, but Gamble stepped in front of him.

"Don't think I'm not in!" Gamble tried to punch Donkan, but he missed yet pushed him away from his team mate.

Arcane was fiercely attacking Rei. Arcane knew a long fight might be troublesome, so he had to knock her off fast. He cornered her near the edge and prepared to knock her off. "This is the end for you." Arcane said as he charged at Rei.

"If that's the case…" Rei said and faced Arcane. Arcane missed his attack, but Rei grabbed a hold of him when he charged! Because of this, Arcane lost balance and they both fell off the stage! "I'm taking you out with me!" Rei yelled as they fell off and were caught by the fliers.

"It's down to the last two combatants folks! Donkan versus Gamble! Who will win!?" The mayor's voice boomed.

"This will be easy, even with you having a weapon." Gamble said. Gamble moved fast quickly trying to kick or punch Donkan. Donkan ducked and weaved all of the attacks all the time barley missing. But Donkan was eventually pushed near the edge.

"This is it for ya!" Gamble said as he charged. He punched and Donkan dodged again, but this time Donkan was able to hit Gamble with the weapon!

Gamble backed off surprised at that. He looked and saw Donkan taking a sword stance.

"Oh… You're in for it now…" Donkan said as he charged at Gamble!

The tables quickly turned, Donkan was completely dodging and countering all of Gamble's moves. Donkan was able to push him all the way to the opposite side of the ring!

"H-How did you read all of my moves?!" Gamble said de-winded. "It was the girl who was good at analyzing fighting styles!"

"That's classified." Donkan only said mocking Arcane a while back and went off to do the finishing blow. "HA!"

Donkan gave a hard hit to the chin of Gamble and knocked him out of the stage!

"We have a winner! Donkan and Rei!" The Mayor yelled and the town cheered wildly!

[End Music]

Later on, Rei and Donkan were given the Earth Key by the Mayor.

"Congratulations both of you! But are you coming back next year?" The mayor asked.

"Sorry, as much as we wish to, we can't." Rei said.

"Then keep it with you. Perhaps destiny has chosen you two to be the new wielders of the key." The mayor congratulated them one more time and left.

"Guys!" Thomas yelled as he, Kishin and even the Siblings came to them.

"Thomas, you lucky bastard, the plan worked!" Donkan said as both of them high fived with a loud slap sound.

"Plan? What plan?" Yuile asked the four.

"Oh… Uh- it's a secret…" Thomas said as he had a flashback on the planning.

=Flashback=

"Fred, Necora, I need you both to link our minds together!"

"What?" The others asked.

"_**What do you mean?**_" Necora asked.

"We will be communicating each other mentally! If we can share our memories or experiences with Rei, she might be able to recognize the styles of their fighting quicker!"

"Wait, how does that work!?" Donkan asked.

"_No wait! I think Thomas is on to something. Necora and I might be able to give you a Share Link. It will link your minds together in such a way you won't be overwhelmed with the others thoughts, and the thoughts that do matter will get to the others!_"

"Brilliant, do it!" Thomas said. "Rei, even if they knock you out, try to keep a close eye on the match and give Donkan the info he needs to fight!"

"This sounds crazy enough to work…" Rei pondered. "Can I also see their memories of when they fought the Assassins?"

"_**Yes! I think this may work! Brilliant, Thomas**_!"

"Save it if this works…" Thomas said as they all started the info sharing.

=End of Flashback=

Thomas then said, "Yeah a secret…Sorry."

"Fine…" Toris said. "It's too bad you guys won't be here next year. I still wanted to fight Kishin."

"Maybe another day…" Kishin said.

"Well we have to go now, see you all again!" Yuile said as the siblings waved goodbye to the four.

"Thomas, you're awesome!" Donkan said again when the two left.

"That plan was great!" Rei said.

"You really are as smart as my friend back home." Kishin told him. "But you're crazier…"

"Come on guys…" Thomas holds the Key. "We've got one key down, three left!"

"Hey… Where are the Assassins?" Donkan said.

At this everyone looked around.

True enough, they both mysteriously disappeared after the tournament.

"_Guys!_" Fred's voice appeared in their heads. "_I checked around and I heared the conversation from the Assassins!_"

"Where are they?!" Rei asked.

"_It's terrible! They realized you are also after the keys, but they went ahead to the next town! They plan to beat you all to the rest of the keys so you'll all have a lesser chance of convincing their boss for a fair trade!_"

"Shit, what?!" Kishin said.

"They must be very perceptive for a plan like that! We need to go after them!" Thomas said urgently. He saw someone over and talked to him. "Sir! Please tell me the nearest town from here! It's an emergency!"

"Uh, the nearest town would be Wind City a little down that path there." The man pointed to a road with a sign saying that it was the way to Wind City.

"Thank you! Come on guys!" Thomas called the other three and they quickly ran to the long path.

"_They have a head start, hurry up, guys!_"

"By the way, what kind of guardian is named Fred?" Kishin asked.

"_Trust me; you don't want to start that._" Fred said bluntly and Thomas laughed out loud.

The four ran up from the canyon and continued on the path to the next town.

* * *

**And that ends with the Heroes getting the first key!**

**I might be spoiling you guys because I'm updating too fast… But I might be busy this week on my studies or in general because school is picking up for me. So this might be the last time I update so fast on the weekends.**

**We finally meet some of the guides of the heroes!**

**Two:**

**Fred- He is with Thomas.**

**Necora- She is with Kishin. **

**Rei and Donkan… I'll explain a little more later…**

**I'm ending these notes because I have a lot to do today, so once more I can't look over this and remake my mistakes until later… sorry.**

**Oh and apparently I received word that Rei and Alice are from a fanfic. It's called "**Getting near you while you get farther away"

_All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.__  
__Ralph Waldo Emerson_

**Thank you for your time and please review.**


	31. Phase 2 Update 11

PHASE 2 UPDATE # 11

SYSTEM RESTORATION ENROUTE…

ACTIVATING CROSS REFERENCING STORAGE.

ACCESSING SPACIAL FILES.

WARNING DISTURBING IMAGERY DETECTED!

PLEASE ACTIVATE SELF TRAUMA SUPPRESSOR. PLEASE.

WARNING HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

OVERVIEW DISABLED.

* * *

"Guys wait up!" Wystan cried as he ran behind Ana, Charles, and Alice.

Charles turned around and showed the two people riding the wyvern. "Wystan… right? It was pretty dark when we tried to introduce ourselves…" Ana said.

"Yes, it is Wystan. And I know your Ana and the little girl is Alice. My sight isn't as good as it used to be, so I rely on my hearing better. So I still remember whose voice is who." Wystan said as he finally caught up with them.

"Oh sorry about that." Ana said.

"It's fine. Don't know why people need to be sorry. If anything, I should be sorry because I lost my eye in an accident, not anything badass like a fight or anything…" He seemed depressed realizing that he may have made himself seem more clumsy than cool.

"Sorry…" Ana said again. Feeling like this time, there was a reason to apologize.

"It's OK…" Wystan said as he hung his head.

"I'm worried about Rei…" Alice said.

"Hey it's alright, I'm sure she's fine." Ana tried to comfort her.

"Oh she probably is, but I'm worried she might be driving the others crazy. She isn't exactly the most responsible person I know." Alice said as she smiled wide.

Wystan and Ana both raise their brow at what Alice just mentioned. Ana motions Charles to get down first.

"One time, while she and I were traveling, we ended up going through a swamp and a mountain path just to get back to the same town we left. From then on I had to double check the map so we wouldn't go through something like that again." Alice smiled.

"Ha! The little sister is the responsible one!" Wystan joked. "Kind of makes me wonder what type of stories you both had…" Wystan leans on a wall. "Becaus- AAA!"

*Crash!*

The wall that Wystan was leaning on had crumbled! And it opened up a path way to a river!

"Gah! H- Help!" Wystan cried as a fast and powerful current was washing him away!

"Uh oh! Charles! I need you to rush through that wall!" Ana asked Charles. "Hold on tight, Alice!"

*Roar!*

Charles busted through the wall. Thankfully, the wall really wasn't that strong and they all easily came through without a scratch.

"Don't worry Wystan. We're on our way! Hiya!" Ana said as Charles tried to dive for Wystan.

"Ana, Look out!" Alice screamed.

*Slam!*

Ana looked up and was hit by one of those top spike rocks that hang from the ceiling.

"Ana!" Alice screamed.

Charles looked back to his rider only to not see the other cave spike hit him in the face!

"Oh come on!" Wystan managed to yell as the three of them fell into the water.

*Splash!*

Ana was able to come out of the water. Wystan went over and helped Alice with Ana.

"How's Charles?!" Wystan asked.

"Over there!" Alice pointed to Charles who was floating on his back with his face up and his eyes swirly.

"Fantastic!" Wystan screamed with sarcasm. "_Can things get any worse_!?- Oh god, I didn't mean that!" Realizing what he just said.

"Why?!" Alice asked as the currents seemed to grow louder.

"Kid, if you ever go on adventure, never I mean never say those words I just said!" Wystan told her.

"Wystan, look over there!" Alice said as she pointed over.

There was a waterfall at the end of the river!

"Son of a-" Wystan caught himself and looked to Alice. "-A witch!"

"Witch?" Alice tilted her head.

"Not important! Hold on tight!" Wystan said as he tried to hold the two close as they all fell of the waterfall!

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

=In another place.=

We find the other four other world heroes screaming at the top of their lungs from a 360 twist loop while going 120 mph.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

=In _another _other place.=

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Knoll screamed loudly and in some form of pain. He had just barley protected his sanity from another story the driver was telling him… in full detail…

"…And that was the story of how I and my two best friends all learned to share one toilet together at the same exact time! From then on, we called ourselves the Stream Crossers." The Driver disturbingly said. Also, The Driver didn't seem to stop nor did he notice Knoll slowly losing his mind.

Poor Knoll had been through a lot.

"This also reminds me of the time when I got on my knees blindfolded and I was told to unzip stuff with my teeth. You would not believe what-"

"ENOUGH!" Knoll snapped. He stood up and looked to Streaky. "WE ARE LEAVING!" Knoll then glared at the driver; Knoll was also twitching a little. "GOOD DAY TO YOU SIR AND/OR MADAM- I SAID GOOD DAY!" Knoll slapped the back of the guy's head.

Both he and Streaky quickly jumped of the caravan and Knoll started charging madly at a random direction.

"I CAANN'TT TAKE IT ANYMORE! AAAAHHHHH!" Knoll kept running madly with Streaky close behind him.

Knoll kept running and screaming as he ran through a forest until he saw a cliff… then he ran even faster…

"HA! DEATH IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE TORTURE I WENT THROUGH!" Knoll then leaped of the cliff and wailed like a banshee all because he had lost his sanity in a few crucial seconds.

And then Knoll died and with him, the fate of this world…BOOM!

Just kidding!

*Splash!*

Knoll got out of the water and found himself on a fast moving river.

"Whoa, I could have actually died if there wasn't a river here… river… river… stream- *SLAP!*" Knoll quickly slaps himself from remembering something horrible. "Well anyway, did Streaky follow-" Knoll looked behind him and saw a man with a scar, a little girl, an unconscious glasses chick, and an unconscious wyvern right behind him. The only two conscious people of the group were just staring at him awkwardly.

"….Uhh… Did you guys-um… How much did you guys just see?" Knoll asked.

"Ha. Death is nothing compared to the torture I went through." The little girl repeated in a monotonous tone. "*Fake wail noises*"

The man with a scar spoke. "Dude, suicide is never the answer. Choose life man, I'm sure there is someone out there that doesn't think you're…whatever…"

Knoll tried to defend his actions. "To be fair, I would like to see you go through what I went through- hey wait a sec, what are you guys doing in this river anyway with an unconscious wyvern and its rider?"

The two people look at each other. "Uh… You wouldn't believe us if we told you." The man with a scar said.

"Try me." Knoll said remembering Metus, Potato, Chronos, the guy in gold, Marvo, Red Man, an angry Naga, and the all powerful Interferer dressed as a tall hobo.

"Um, first can you help us?" The little girl said. "We all need to get out of this river."

Knoll nodded his head. He looked back to where he jumped off and saw Streaky running along the cliff.

"Whoa! That wolf is huge!" The guys said.

"She's my friend Streaky. I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for her." Knoll tries to call her over. "Streaky! Find some help or something!"

"Bark!" Streaky then jumps into the river with them.

*Splash!*

Knoll screamed again. "Streaky!? Why did you just jump in!?"

Streaky quickly swam to the wyvern and bit one of its legs!

"Growl!" The wyvern woke up in pain.

"Wha- How did your wolf know to do that!?" Wystan cried.

"I don't know, she's smart like that!" Knoll screamed.

"Charles! Help us!" Alice said.

Charles tried to look around and saw what was happening. He flew out of the water and then flew right above the unconscious girl.

"Dude with a scar!" Knoll said as he swam to them. "Help the small girl on Charles first, then the glasses girl."

"My name is Wystan!" He said as he and Knoll helped the little girl on to Charles.

"And my name is Alice, Alice Asaki Hikari. A pleasure to meet you." Alice introduced herself.

"That name… Are you by any chance from Chon'sin?" Knoll asks.

"Sorry, sir, but that is complicated to say right now." Alice says with a confused look. "Can you help her up now? Her name is Ana Reyes."

"Sure, and my name is Knoll Highlander." Knoll introduced himself as he helped Wystan raise Ana with the help of Charles' tail and Alice.

"Knoll? Isn't that the name of a small hill?" Wystan asked.

Knoll looked to him a little embarrassed. "…Uh… I'll tell you later! Just help us-"

"BARK!" Streaky barked and then whimpered as she did, the River current got faster and louder.

" Not again! Shi-" Wystan stopped himself again and remembered Alice. "Shi…ver me timbers! There be another waterfall!"

"A waterfall!? Wait- why you talking like a pirate just now?" Knoll asked.

"Concentrate! Alice, help us up!" Wystan told her.

"I don't think Charles can carry all of you."

"Fine! Wystan, you go!" Knoll quickly screamed.

They were both heading towards the waterfall with Streaky.

"What?! NO! We're not leaving you!" Wystan said as they got closer.

"Better one lives than all die! Just Go!" Knoll tried to say. He quickly took out his necklace and looked at it angrily.

Despite that, they took to long! Streaky, Knoll, and Wystan were about to fall into the waterfall!

* * *

"…"

"….Oh… Oh my-…head… Where-where am I?" Someone wakes up and looks around. The person sees some nice and clean wooden room. This person finds themselves waking out of a bed and noticing that they are wearing weird blue villager clothes with water and fish patterns on it. As this person got out of bed, they heard voices coming from the room over.

"…Since my mom thought my cheeks were puffy and small when she first saw me, she decided to name me Knoll. Because my cheeks reminded her of a small hill." A voice speaks out.

"Hahaha! Oh that's precious!" A man's voice is heard laughing at the one named Knoll.

"This coming from a wannabe Pirate, Wystan?" Knoll retorted. "Did you lose your eye patch in the river?"

"Both of you stop!" A small but loud voice is heard.

The person opens the door and sees three people wearing clothes much like theirs.

"Ana! You're awake!" Alice greets Ana who woke up.

"Good to see your fine. Here's your glasses!" Wystan tosses them to Ana and she barely catches it.

"Hey don't throw it!" Alice yells at Wystan.

"So you're the owner of Charlie? You're a lot smaller than I thought…" A third person greets Ana which makes her twitch. "My name is Knoll by the way, nice to meet you."

"What happened?" Ana said as she rubbed her head. "All I remember was a rock and… pain."

"You hit your head in the cave and we all fell into the river current with Wystan." Alice said.

Wystan continued. "Then we fell off a short waterfall and found ourselves into a fast moving river. There, we had a very interesting encounter with this man, Knoll and his friend Streaky."

"This time, however…" Knoll spoke. "There was a bigger waterfall up ahead. Your wyvern was awake this time, but he couldn't carry us all. Just before we fell, a huge net came out of almost nowhere and caught Streaky, Wystan, and I. We met up with fishermen from a nearby city and we are now staying in one of their outdoor cabins." He told the story but he looked back to Wystan and Alice. "You guys still haven't told me what you guys were doing in a cave river before that…"

"Wait, wait let me get this straight." Ana said as she tried to wrap her head around this. "Somehow, I fell into a river, survived one small waterfall, ended up in a river with another person, then saved by strangers before falling from a real waterfall? And I slept through all of that!?" She retold worriedly.

"You probably hit your head hard." Wystan assumed.

"You guys still haven't told me what happened to you guys in the first place." Knoll asked again.

The sound of a door opens and everyone in the room looks over. They see a light blue haired woman carrying a stack of clothes and wearing the same thing everyone else was.

"I have all of your clothes dried. I didn't know some armor could dry so quickly like this but-" The woman suddenly saw Ana. "Oh are you awake now?"

"Um, yes Ma'm and who are you?" Ana asked.

"My name is Miren. I'm the daughter of one of the fishermen that saved you all, Pon. My father and his friends went back to Water Town. By the way everyone, I have all of your clothes dried." She said as she handed out their clothes back.

"Thank you again for the clothes you all lent us." Alice said.

"Aww, your welcome sweetie." Miren told them. "I have to go soon, so I'll prepare a few dishes then head out on my way. You're all free to leave anytime you wish."

"It's amazing how people are so hospitable here." Alice commented with a smile.

"So anyone wanna tell me your story now?" Knoll asked. "I don't mean to sound like a broken record but you all have been avoiding that subject."

The three other people looked at each other. "Could we change first then explain to you?" Ana asked.

Knoll sighed, "Fine, I'll go change…"

* * *

A little later, everyone changed back into their clothes, but they asked Knoll to stay alone in a room for a little while so they could discuss things.

"Do we tell him?" Wystan asked.

"I don't know…" Alice said. "But he did help us or mostly his wolf helped us…"

"He has a wolf?!" Ana looked surprised.

"Yeah big, white, and a cool looking scar on one of it-"

"Her, Wsytan. Knoll called Streaky a she several times." Alice corrected. "She is outside with Charlie."

"Point is, it looks vicious, tough, and I'm assuming the wolf has a better story behind her scar than mine!" Wystan complained. "Oh that and how the heck do we explain our problem to him?"

"Miren said that her family went to Water Town… Isn't that one of the places Splice told us about?" Ana thought. "So should we go there also? We aren't in a very good position right now and maybe he might help us. If what you two told me about the story on how you met him were true, he might be something similar to a plot device!" Ana tried to reason with stars in her eyes.

"Ana, how many stories do you read?" Alice asked as both she and Wystan raised their brow.

"...Let's just tell him... Knoll! You can come out now!" Ana screamed to the door.

Knoll came out in his full armor and two people seemed to look very surprised at what his armor was…

"Altair!?" Both Wystan and Ana screamed and pointed to Knoll's Assassin's Creed- like armor.

Knoll and Alice looked dumbfounded at the two. Wystan and Ana looked at each other realizing that the other recognized his armor…

Knoll pointed to them, "Did you both just say Altair?! As in the first guy in Assassin's Creed!?"

Both Ana and Wystan's jaw dropped at what Knoll just said.

"Uhh…" Alice said. "I don't know what's going on here…"

{HAhaha! Oh, I can't take it anymore! This is too good!}

A voice filled the room. It sounded like a girl's voice.

"Merin?" Alice asked as she looked around.

{Sorry, sweetie, I'm not her. My name is Veyona! Pleasure to meet you all.}

"Veyona!? You're here?!" Wystan cried.

"OK, is anyone else crazy confused?" Ana asked.

"I am." Knoll agreed.

"I don't know what's going on…" Alice said as she slumped in her chair.

"My head is starting to hurt now." Wystan said as he clutched his head.

{Oh, I know what's going on here… *chuckles* All of your faces are so cute!}

A hooded being comes out in a flash of light. Then the being giggles and waves.

{Tada! Sorry, I couldn't appear a little earlier. That cave a while back was doing some crazy mojo on my powers! But here I am in some wired new form; maybe I should try a new look from now on!}

Knoll spoke out while rubbing his head, "Would anyone like to explain things now?!"

+_Give me a second…_+

Another voice was heard around the room, but Knoll knew that voice all too well. His necklace suddenly shinned a bright blue color that blinded everyone.

When Knoll opened his eyes, he found a familiar, giant, blue snake constricting the one known as Veyona and the other three with his long body.

"Chronos!? The heck!?" Knoll screamed.

Wystan struggled to get free. "What the fu- *Looks at Alice* GAAH!?"

"What's going on now!?" Ana screamed.

{Whoa, buddy! Let's all calm- hey! Why aren't my powers working!?}

+_I'm not letting you escape! Are you with the Interferer?!_+

"Chronos! Stop, let them go!"

Chronos looked at Knoll then he let go of everyone.

"There is a huge snake in the room!?" Ana screamed again and pointed after being let go.

"Welll duh! Thank you Ms. Obvious!" Wystan said as he drew out his tome.

Knoll stood in front of the snake and tried to calm everyone down. "Whoa, Whoa! Hold up guys!" He sighs and motions his hand to the snake. "This is my friend Chronos, he is very cranky, and he's…well… it's really, really complicated." Knoll tried to introduce his giant and scary looking blue snake then he looked to his friend. "You! Why did you suddenly pull the whole jumping the gun thing!? You told me back in the room to play it safe!"

+_That was because I didn't know these people were all from another world!_+

"What!?" Ana yelled. "How did you know that!? Who the heck are you!?"

{Whoo! Alright everyone! Let's just gather around and talk about these things like rational people. Ooh! Let's just re introduce each other again! My name is Veyona, A friend of Wystan here or his real name Leo.}

"Veyona!?" Wystan cried.

+_First off, let me try to explain things. My name is Chronos, I am a guardian of time. All of you are not from this world._+

"How-how did you know that?" Alice asked. She hid behind Ana because she was afraid of a big looking snake.

Everyone looked to Chronos as he seemed to explain things.

+_You're all giving off the same energy signature I sensed earlier this morning. I thought it was an enemy, but now I recognize this energy to be similar to the Outrealms of this world._+

"Oh yeah that science guy said something about the Outrealms too!" Wystan said.

"Science guy?" Knoll asked with curiosity.

"His name was Son… or something…" Wystan answered.

"Sonedi!?" Knoll screamed.

"Yes that was him. How did you know?" Ana asked.

Knoll answered her, "Because I'm one of the Shepherds that sent him to jail!"

"Stop, right there!" Wystan said. "You're a Shepherd?!"

Both He and Ana looked surprised at Knoll. Everyone was now in more shock at what was happening, but Chronos got the attention of the room again.

+_Alright, the other being there was right a while back: we need to compare notes…_+

* * *

"So you guys escaped some kind of artificial super risen? Sounds scary." Knoll said as he drank a glass of water.

"And both of you are people trying to hunt down some foreign deity that came to this world for some unknown reason? I admit Chronos does seem qualified, but you guys make it sound like your god hunting!" Wystan said as he poured tea to Veyona and Alice's cup.

"Ooh! That would make a great idea for Anime… *Munch*" Ana said as she bit a gingersnap. She swallowed and spoke again. "It's also amazing to know that Wystan and Knoll here are from Earth as well! I wonder if there was anyone else from Earth…"

Alice sipped her cup but looked a little confused. "I'm still confused… this Earth… so you all came from another world to another world? …Then we came to this world? ...I miss Magvel now…"

"Um, yeah that is complicated for someone like you Alice." Wystan rubbed his head. "Just ignore that part and just know that Ana, Knoll and I are from the same… continent- yeah think of Earth like a very faraway continent like Magvel."

"OK…" Alice agreed.

{I hear Magvel is pretty this time of the year, isn't it?}

Veyona drank her tea.

+_Personally, I would like to focus on the matter at hand._+

Chronos said as he replaced the empty plate with another batch of gingersnaps that Miren left behind by using the tip of his tail.

+_If your story is all true, then we are definitely going to Water Town! I will not let The Interferer gain control over an Outrealm gate! The potential cosmic destruction he could cause would be catastrophic!_+

{Chronos is right, everybody. So go out there and fetch those keys!}

Veyona fist pumped.

"Wow… to think one of those people I saw was some kind of deity… I really didn't even notice- I mean there wasn't even an air about him when I saw him for a few moments. Despite wearing a suit, which I now consider strange here, he really didn't stand out." Ana thought about it.

"Actually we would like to think that The Benefactor is the Interferer. But Chronos said to keep an open mind until we have solid proof that he is the same person." Knoll said and got up.

Wystan and the others also got up. "There is a lot more in stake now… We definitely need those keys now!" Wystan said.

+_Veyona and I will maintain communication with all of you. But we have to remain hidden._+

"So much for having a giant snake traveling with us…" Ana said.

+_I am not risking the balance of this timeline even more by just randomly revealing myself to mortals…_+

With that, Chronos disappeared, most likely back to where he was originally before he came through Knoll's pendant.

{Aww, I wanted to stretch myself a little…}

Veyona took a sip of her tea- before a blue snake's tail came out of nowhere and pulled her out of sight. The tea cleanly dropped back into the table without spilling a drop.

"Yeah…" Wystan said. "Veyona means well but she is usually quite hyper for my helper."

The four started to head out, but before they could…

"So do you prefer to be called Leo or Wystan?" Ana asked Wystan/Leo.

"Well… I would like to be called Leo again, but I'll save it for when I get back home. So just continue with Wystan please." He said as they all finally left through.

"Streaky!/Charlie!" Both Knoll and Ana called over their friends.

The two animals woke up from a nap and quickly came over to them.

"So we're all going to Water Town right? Alice, Merin did give us a map of this place right?" Knoll asked.

"Yep! Water Town is a few miles from here." Alice said as she pulled out the map.

"Then that's our first stop." Ana said as she got ready with Charles. "Let's get those keys! HA!" She then flew off ahead.

"Hey, it's not a race!" Wystan screamed.

Knoll simply smiled and looked to Alice. "She's going the wrong way, isn't she?"

"She took a left when we are supposed to go straight…" Alice said after reading the map.

Knoll smiled "I figured- Streaky!"

Streaky came right behind Alice and swept her off her feet. Streaky then placed herself under Alice and Alice landed in a riding position on Streaky.

"Alright girls, lead those people on the right track. We'll catch up soon."

Wystan tried to say something, but Streaky quickly ran off and chased after Charles and Ana.

"Dude! How are we supposed to catch up with them now?!" Wystan cried.

Knoll looked at him weird before going, "Ohh… oops… Well we better get to running!" Knoll said as he started to dash after them.

"Really dude, really!?" Wystan cried as he ran after Knoll.

Knoll only looked back with a huge grin on his face. "Sorry, Wystan. Welcome to my world!"

* * *

Unknown to these four heroes, there was a figure of a young child watching them from a high cliff. His eyes seemed to eye Wystan with a form of creepy glee.

"Found you, Wystan…"

* * *

**Nothing quite like exposition over tea and gingersnaps, Eh?**

**So Knoll and Chronos join the fray! **

**Let me first introduce a new character: Veyona!**

**She is Wystan's "Cosmic Guide." There isn't much of a story behind her. (That doesn't involve spoilers) And I kinda decided to tweak her character a little from the description Sol D. Mars gave me. She is an optimistic and positive guide for Wystan who I made a little immature just for the sake of thinking it would make her interesting.**

**The story is a little slow especially here where these guys are a little slower than the other four heroes, but I'm planning something with these four.**

**Now a little note I found with some of the Characters is with Alice and Rei. I never mentioned, because I never knew that they were from Magvel or better known as Fire Emblem (8)Sacred Stones. Which is really cool by the way. (ZeroRei00)**

**I wanted to work a little more on everyone's character here but… I didn't find it easy here to try and explore with everyone here, so hopefully I'll do better in the next chapter.**

**And last but not least, there is someone else after the Heroes! Specifically, this person has his eyes on Wystan! Who could they be-**

…**Hey wait a sec… Wasn't there one more explosion just after the heroes first escaped the cave? Was there really no side effects from that one?**

**I'm just going to say this for now: While the other four were more efficient, these four will be more trouble prone. Especially in the next chapter.**

_The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.__  
__Buddha__  
_

**See you guys in a while. Thank you for your time and please review.**


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